The influence of the Water Table (WT) and the capillary fringe plays a critical role in soil water dynamics, affecting plant‑available water, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and Land Surface Temperature (LST). This study examined the functioning of the aquifer–soil–plant–atmosphere system such as transpiration, evaporation, plant root water uptake and capillarity to assess how the WT and the capillary fringe affect LST. Field measurements were integrated with satellite data, including WT depth, precipitation records, and satellite‑derived products such as LST, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and potential evapotranspiration from reanalysis data (ERA5‑Ag). The research was conducted in a shallow aquifer within the Salado River watershed, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, over the period 2007–2023. Results revealed a strong inverse relationship (R² = 0.74) between the WT and LST. This relationship was modeled using an equation valid during the summer months, when atmospheric demand is high and soils are dry. The approach was validated using measurements from nearby piezometers, yielding a bias of −0.17 m and a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 0.44 m. Satellite‑derived LST was shown to effectively reflect the influence of the WT on plant transpiration under water‑stressed conditions. By isolating the effect of evaporation, this method offers a novel means of indirectly assessing the hydrogeological status of shallow aquifers.

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This study examines the contribution of key factors that limit land accessibility in Akure. A survey design method was used for data collection via building enumeration and a structured questionnaire survey on residents within the three zones in the city. A sample size of 7% was adopted, which amounts to a total of 422 sampled respondents, while descriptive statistics and a Likert scale were used to process the set objectives. Findings from the study revealed that socio-economic attributes of residents were significant predictors limiting land accessibility in Akure. Findings on critical land parameters examined in the three zones observed in the city indicate that availability and affordability have high mean values of 4.50, 4.40 and 3.25, tenure security has 4.29, 4.05 and 4.48, ease of transaction has moderate mean scores of 3.38, 3.54 and 3.02, land market policy has 3.12, 3.11 and 3.65, location has mean value of 4.31, 4.29 and 4.39 while land price speculation has 4.25, 4.17 and 4.23 mean value contributions to land accessibility challenges in Akure. Thus, the study recommends: (i) implementation of sound land tenure policy frameworks to land accessibility, (ii) empowering productive age group with land discounted prices and housing finance subsidies, (iii) regional redistribution of infrastructure and social facilities to reduce pressure on existing urban lands, (iv) review of land market policy to curb informal land transactions, (v) effective collaboration among stakeholders in land administration, and (vi) adopting GIS techniques for effective monitoring of land utilization in promoting sustainable urban land use and management in Akure.

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