Using Remote Sensing to Quantify Vegetation Change and Ecological Resilience in a Semi-Arid System

Xia Cui, Cerian Gibbes, Jane Southworth and Peter Waylen
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Xia Cui: The State Key Laboratory of Grassland Farming Systems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Cerian Gibbes: Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
Jane Southworth: Department of Geography & Land Use and Environmental Change Institute (LUECI), University of Florida; 3141 Turlington Hall, P.O. Box 117315, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Peter Waylen: Department of Geography & Land Use and Environmental Change Institute (LUECI), University of Florida; 3141 Turlington Hall, P.O. Box 117315, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA

Land, 2013, vol. 2, issue 2, 1-23

Abstract: This research extends upon land cover change studies by incorporating methodological approaches, which are compatible with heterogeneous ecosystems, are able to link landscape changes to system processes, such as climate change, and provide potential linkages to concepts of ecological resilience. The study region in southern Africa experienced a significant climatic shift in the 1970s, resulting in drier conditions. The state of these ecosystems and their response to such climatic shock is quantified in terms of vegetation amount and heterogeneity. We monitor these characteristics pre- and post-disturbance using a Landsat image series and examine the utility of continuous characterizations of land cover for measuring ecosystem resilience. Land cover change is evaluated using a mean-variance analysis in concert with a spatial persistence analysis. This investigation indicates that although the impact of the decreased precipitation is evident in the 1980s, recovery occurred by the 1990s and 2000s. We found the continuous methodological approach used holds potential for studying heterogeneous landscapes within a resilience framework.

Keywords: savanna; vegetation cover; NDVI; climate change; resilience; land cover; Landsat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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