Monitoring 25 years of land cover change dynamics in Africa: A sample based remote sensing approach

The study examines the changes in sub-Saharan's natural land cover resources for a 25 year period. We assess these changes in four broad land cover classes – forests, natural non-forest vegetation, agriculture and barren – by using high spatial resolution Earth observing satellites. Two sets of sample images, one ‘historical’ targeted at 1975 and a second ‘recent’ targeted at the year 2000, have been selected through a stratified random sampling technique over the study area, targeting a sampling rate of 1% in each of the strata. The results, presented at eco-region level and aggregated at sub-Saharan level, show a 57% increase in agriculture area at the expense of natural vegetation which has itself decreased by 21% over the period, with nearly 5 million hectares forest and non-forest natural vegetation lost per year. The impacts of these changes on the environment on one site and on the socio-economy on the other site are discussed and possible pressures on human well being are highlighted.     

中南半岛森林覆被变化研究进展

中南半岛森林覆被是热带地区极为重要的自然资源,对当地生态环境和社会经济发展都有重要影响。本文从遥感监测与制图、时空变化格局、影响因素和生态环境效应4 个方面,系统总结和评述了中南半岛森林覆被变化的研究进展,并对研究问题和发展方向进行了讨论。研究表明：①中南半岛森林覆被遥感监测数据源由光学遥感逐渐转向雷达遥感,监测方法向采用多分类器和多源信息转变,监测对象主要是天然森林覆被,人工林监测仍面临多重困难;②1980-2010 年期间,中南半岛不同地区森林覆被变化时空差异明显,其中,在1990 年前森林覆被面积为净增加,之后净减少;在空间上,泰国、老挝、缅甸和柬埔寨森林面积在1990 年后均持续减少,只有越南呈增长趋势;③中南半岛森林覆被变化的直接驱动因素主要为经济林扩张、刀耕火种农业、道路建设和商业采伐,间接驱动因素包括人口、社会经济和政策等因素,主要表现为森林数量变化、森林退化和森林再生/恢复等方面,其程度与干扰方式、强度、频率直接相关;④中南半岛森林覆被变化的生态环境效应主要体现在水分效应、大气环境效应、土壤效应和生物效应4方面。     

Changes in soil organic carbon and other physical soil properties along adjacent Mediterranean forest, grassland, and cropland ecosystems in Turkey

Cultivation, overgrazing, and overharvesting are seriously degrading forest and grassland ecosystems in the Taurus Mountains of the southern Mediterranean region of Turkey. This study investigated the effects of changes on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and other physical soil properties over a 12-year period in three adjacent ecosystems in a Mediterranean plateau. The ecosystems were cropland (converted from grasslands in 1990), open forest, and grassland. Soil samples from two depths, 0–10 and 10–20 cm, were collected for chemical and physical analyses at each of cropland, open forest, and grassland ecosystems. SOC pools at the 0–20 cm depth of cropland, forest, and grassland ecosystems were estimated at 32,636, 56,480, and 57,317 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Conversion of grassland into cropland during the 12-year period increased the bulk density by 10.5% and soil erodibility by 46.2%; it decreased SOM by 48.8%, SOC content by 43%, available water capacity (AWC) by 30.5%, and total porosity by 9.1% for the 0–20 cm soil depth (p<0.001). The correlation matrix revealed that SOC content was positively correlated with AWC, total porosity, mean weight diameter (MWD), forest, and grassland, and negatively with bulk density, pH, soil erodibility factor, and cropland. The multiple regression (MLR) models indicated that any two of the three ecosystems and one of the two soil depths accounted for 86.5% of variation in mean SOC values ((p<0.001).     

Optical and radar remote sensing data for forest cover mapping in Peninsular Malaysia

This study aims to map forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia using satellite images as deforestation is of concern in the recent decades, and is an important environmental issue for the future too. The Carnegie Landsat Analysis System‐Lite (CLASlite) program was used in this study to detect forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia using Landsat satellite data. The results of the study show that CLASlite algorithm misclassified some oil palm, rubber and urban areas as forest vegetation. A reliable forest cover map was produced by first combining Landsat and ALOS PALSAR images to identify oil palm, rubber and urban areas, and then subsequently removing them. The HH and HV polarization data of ALOS PALSAR (threshold method) could detect oil palm plantations with 85.26 per cent of overall accuracy. For urban area detection, Enhance Build up Index (EBBI) using spectral bands from Landsat provided higher overall accuracy of 94 per cent. These methods produced a forest cover reading of 5 914 421 ha with an overall classification accuracy of 94.5 per cent. The forest cover (including rubber areas) detected in this study is 0.38 per cent higher than the percentage of 2010 forest cover detected by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia. The technique described in this paper presents an alternative and viable approach for updating forest cover maps in Malaysia.     

Broad scale forest cover reconstruction from historical topographic maps

Land cover change is one of the major contributors to global change, but long-term, broad-scale, detailed and spatially explicit assessments of land cover change are largely missing, although the availability of historical maps in digital formats is increasing. The problem often lies in efficiency of analyses of historical maps for large areas. Our goal was to assess different methods to reconstruct land cover and land use from historical maps to identify a time-efficient and reliable method for broad-scale land cover change analysis. We compared two independent forest cover reconstruction methods: first, regular point sampling, and second, wall-to-wall mapping, and tested both methods for the Polish Carpathians (20,000 km²) for the 1860s, 1930s and 1970s. We compared the two methods in terms of their reliability for forest change analysis, relative to sampling error, point location and landscape context including local forest cover, area of the spatial reference unit and forest edge-to-core ratio. Our results showed that the point-based analysis overestimated forest cover in comparison to wall-to-wall mapping by 1–3%, depending on the mapping period. The reasons for the differences were mainly the backdating approach and map generalisation rather than the point grid position or sampling error. When we compared forest cover trajectories over time, we found that the point-based reconstruction captured forest cover dynamics with a comparable accuracy to the wall-to-wall mapping. More broadly, our assessment showed that historical maps can provide valuable data on long-term land cover trends, and that point-based sampling can be an efficient and accurate way to assess forest area and change trends. We suggest that our point-based approach could allow land cover mapping across much of Europe starting in the 1800s. Our findings are important because they suggest that land cover change, a key component of global change, can be assessed over large areas much further back in time than it is commonly done. This would allow to truly understand path dependencies, land use legacies, and historical drivers of land cover change.     

Uncovering the spatio-temporal dynamics of land cover change and fragmentation of mangroves in the Ca Mau peninsula,Vietnam using multi-temporal SPOT satellite imagery (2004–2013)

Mangrove forests provide vital ecosystem services for millions of people living in coastal communities. The expansion of aquaculture production and urbanization have been identified as major causes of mangrove clearance in South-East Asia. The Ca Mau peninsula in Vietnam is leading the country in shrimp aquaculture and at the same time, the region is home to the largest remaining mangrove forests. This study aims to assess the spatial and temporal mangrove forest dynamics in Ngoc Hien district in Ca Mau. Land cover change and fragmentation are quantified using remote sensing imagery consisting of a series of SPOT5 scenes from 2004, 2009 and 2013. The results indicate a high turnover of land cover change, with close to half of the mangrove forests being affected by land cover changes between 2004 and 2014. Net changes in mangrove forest are found to average −0.34% annually, characterized by deforestation between 2004 and 2009 and afforestation of between 2009 and 2013. Fragmentation remains a plausible threat; approximately 35.4% of the mangrove forests in Ngoc Hien are part of interior ‘core’ forests. Forest zones with different regulation regimes play a significant role in shaping the geographic distribution of mangrove forest changes. The insights into recent mangrove forest dynamics facilitate the informed discussion on improving future protection of the mangrove forests abiding anthropogenic pressures.     

Using remote sensing and GIS to investigate the impacts of tourism on forest cover in the Annapurna Conservation Area,Nepal

Tourism is Nepal's largest industry, giving people in rural areas an alternative to subsistence farming. Tourism can have an impact on the forest cover of a region as trees provide firewood for cooking and heating and timber for building accommodation. In 1986 the Annapurna Conservation Area Project was established to ensure that tourism was managed more sustainably, which includes minimising its impact on the forest cover. This study assesses the impacts of tourism on the forest cover in the Annapurna region by comparing Landsat images from 1999 to 2011. This was achieved through spectral classification of different land cover and by assessing the change in forest cover in relation to increasing distances from tourism villages. A major problem with remote sensing in mountainous regions such as Nepal is shadow caused by the relief. This issue was addressed by only assessing areas which were free from shadow, which in effect meant a sample was used rather than the whole study region. The results indicate that there has been an 8 percent reduction in overall forest extent, but this change varies by region. In the northern, drier regions there has been a net increase in forest cover, while in the southern regions there has been a net reduction in forests. The influence of tourism facilities on forest is also variable. Around each of the tourism villages sampled there was a general trend of forest removal decreasing as the distance from each village increased, which indicates tourism does have a negative impact on forests. However, there was an opposite trend in the northern villages that were well inside the conservation area.     

Many a little makes a mickle: Cumulative land cover changes and traditional land use in the Kyrö reindeer herding district,northern Finland

Traditional land use systems are threatened by land use intensification and resulting land cover transitions in northern areas. This article examines cumulative land cover changes and their impacts on reindeer grazing grounds in the Kyrö reindeer herding district in northern Finland. Land cover transitions were studied using Landsat TM and OLI images and topographic maps. The results showed that the herding district has experienced notable land cover changes during the past decades, and most of these changes were directly related to forestry. The proportion of continuous coniferous forests of the total forest cover declined from 92% to 78% between 1987 and 2013. Approximately one third of the forests outside current conservation areas were disturbed by forest management by 2013, and remaining forests were notably more fragmented than forests within conservation areas. The extent of the road and path networks expanded considerably between 1960s and 2010 as a result of increasing logging and tourism. Accumulation of disturbances gradually results in loss of key resources and declined quality of the landscape mosaic from the reindeer herding perspective, which can pose a serious threat to long-term sustainability of the livelihood. Rapid land cover changes in non-protected areas highlight an increasingly important role of conservation areas in maintaining resources for reindeer husbandry in the face of intensifying land use. Sustainable management of resources outside conservation areas requires careful participatory planning and efficient cumulative impact assessment of different land use activities.     

基于HJ-1B数据的雪盖提取方法研究——以军塘湖流域为例

 HJ-1A、1B卫星具有较高的时间和空间分辨率,适合小流域尺度的积雪动态监测研究。本文基于HJ-1B数据,选取军塘湖流域,针对同时具有HJ-1B/CCD、IRS数据和只有HJ-1B/CCD数据两种情况展开雪盖提取方法研究。对于第一种情况,因研究区南端有大面积森林覆盖,会影响雪像元识别,选用[WTBX]NDSI[WTBZ]和[WTBX][STBX]S3[WTBZ][STBZ]两种雪盖指数,并利用[WTBX]NDVI[WTBZ]或TM影像反演的林区辅助判识积雪。结果表明:当有植被信息辅助分类时,两种雪盖指数均能较好提取出森林覆盖区的积雪,且提取结果基本一致,精度较高。对于第二种情况,因无法计算雪盖指数,采用光谱与纹理信息结合的SVM法提取雪盖,提取的面积和精度与上述方法相比略低,但很接近,说明在缺少[WTBX]IRS[WTBZ]数据的情况下,仅利用CCD仍可提取出较为准确的雪盖,满足实际应用需求。     

基于神经网络模型技术的南京市主城区城市森林遥感调查

城市森林调查是城市森林研究和规划建设的前提和基础工作,而遥感和GIS技术已成为现代城市森林调查的主要方法。遥感信息源和遥感分类技术是决定城市森林遥感调查质量的两个关键因素,研究认为,根据城市森林特点及城市森林研究和规划建设的要求,城市森林遥感调查采用的遥感影像分辨率以8¹0m为宜,神经网络模型分类技术应用于城市森林遥感调查效果较好。本文以南京市主城区为例,以10m分辨率多光谱spot卫星图像与2.5m分辨率全色spot卫星图像的融合图像作为解译信息源,采用dARTMAP神经网络模型进行监督分类,提取了一套具有较高精度的南京市主城区城市森林空间属性数据和图件,并在此基础上分析了南京市城市森林基本特点及规划建设方向。     

基于Landsat 8 OLI数据与面向对象分类的昆嵛山地区土地覆盖信息提取

利用2015年Landsat 8 OLI遥感影像和DEM作为分类数据源,结合野外调查数据,采用面向对象的分类方法对昆嵛山地区土地覆盖信息进行提取,并对分类结果进行精度评价与比较分析。研究表明：面向对象分类方法提取的各地类连续且边界清晰,分类效果与实际情况基本吻合。昆嵛山地区占主导地位的土地覆盖类型是针叶林,面积为1 546.81 km²。研究区土地覆盖分类的总体精度和Kappa系数分别为91.5%和0.88,其中针叶林、草地、水体和建设用地的生产者精度均达到87%以上。相对于监督分类方法,本研究提出的土地覆盖信息提取方法的总体分类精度和Kappa系数分别提高14.7%和0.17。基于面向对象的中分辨率遥感影像,能够获取较高精度的土地覆盖信息,为大范围土地覆盖分类研究提供方法参考。     

南京市热场分布特征及其与土地利用/覆被关系研究

文章采用Landsat ETM⁺热红外波段反演LST,分析南京市热场分布规律,构建了土地覆被指数LCI定量表示热场分布特征与土地利用/覆被的关系。结果表明:南京市存在三个连续分布且范围较广的热岛中心,主要分布在工业区;建成区平均温度比郊区高0.972℃;土地利用/类型的空间格局总体上决定了城市热场的空间分布,下垫面介质的热特征和生物学特征差异是地表温度不同的根本原因,工业热源是南京市热岛形成的重要因素;LCI可以和城市气候模型、水文模型结合起来运用,为城市热岛提供一种新分析方法。对某一特定区域而言,随着城市化水平的提高,单位面积内LCI值逐渐减小。     

A new MODIS daily cloud free snow cover mapping algorithm on the Tibetan Plateau

Because of similar reflective characteristics of snow and cloud, the weather status seriously affects snow monitoring using optical remote sensing data. Cloud amount analysis during 2010 to 2011 snow seasons shows that cloud cover is the major limitation for snow cover monitoring using MOD10A1 and MYD10A1. By use of MODIS daily snow cover products and AMSR-E snow water equivalent products (SWE), several cloud elimination methods were integrated to produce a new daily cloud free snow cover product, and information of snow depth from 85 climate stations in Tibetan Plateau area (TP) were used to validate the accuracy of the new composite snow cover product. The results indicate that snow classification accuracy of the new daily snow cover product reaches 91.7% when snow depth is over 3 cm. This suggests that the new daily snow cover mapping algorithm is suitable for monitoring snow cover dynamic changes in TP.     

2000-2010年西伯利亚地表覆盖变化特征——基于GlobeLand30的分析

西伯利亚是全球环境变化的重要敏感性区域,但以往缺乏该区域中高分辨率地表覆盖数据,对其地表覆盖的整体分布与变化缺乏深入的认识。本文利用中国新近研制的2000、2010年两期30 m分辨率地表覆盖数据产品GlobeLand30,对2000-2010年西伯利亚地表覆盖的空间分布格局、变化幅度、区域差异及主要地类的变化原因进行了综合分析。研究发现：①西伯利亚地表覆盖的空间分布现状具有明显的地带性特征。②10年间,西伯利亚地区地表覆盖整体变化幅度较大,其中林地及草地呈显著缩减、湿地呈较大幅度增加、耕地呈微弱减少、人造地表呈增加态势。③10年间,西伯利亚地表覆盖变化具有显著的区域差异性。变化最显著的为西西伯利亚地区,其中以湿地增加最明显,主要分布于鄂毕河—叶尼塞河流域,林地、草地及耕地减少集中于西伯利亚西南部。④人类活动和气候变暖是引发西伯利亚地表覆盖变化的主要原因。大规模林地砍伐导致林地减少;冰冻层消融,林地、草地和水体向湿地的转化是湿地增加的主要原因;耕地的人为废弃和撂荒导致耕地面积有所减少。     

The use of Landsat imagery to assess large-scale forest cover changes in space and time,minimizing false-positive changes

A new approach, based on the application of multi-spectral remote sensing data of Landsat imagery, is introduced to determine large-scale spatiotemporal variations of forest cover changes quantitatively and with a high degree of precision. The test area covers about 837,330.5 ha of a mountainous region in Central Italy. The approach employs several multi-temporal Landsat acquisitions to account for forest cover changes larger than 0.5 ha for the period from March 2002 to July 2011. In contrast to automated approaches that strongly curtail mapping time, the approach introduced here allowed us to map only the real forest cover change, based on a robust validation and rectification of the detected forest change. Derived high spatial resolution data of forest change estimates indicate that about 5.7% (47,670.5 ha) of the observed forest area was subject to human-induced change between 2002 and 2011. Moreover, the detected forest cover changes, most of which are identifiable as timber harvesting, are considerably larger than those reported in the official statistics and often fall within the perimeter of restricted areas (i.e., national parks and natural reserves).     

基于GF-1的青藏高原东南部积雪分布及MODIS积雪产品适用性研究

青藏高原东南部海拔高,地形复杂,云量大,准确掌握该地区的积雪分布特征对于积雪灾害防治非常重要。论文以2013—2019年冬季积雪积累期云量符合要求的35景高分一号(GF-1)影像为基础,将全色影像和多光谱影像融合为2 m分辨率影像,通过目视解译获取了研究区积雪的空间分布特征,结合改进后的30 m分辨率SRTM DEM,探讨了地形对积雪分布的影响。结果表明：积雪像元在研究区范围内占比为33.1%。积雪的垂直分布特征明显：积雪在高程带4000~5000 m(高海拔)处分布较集中,积雪面积占比为18.1%;在高程带0~2000 m、2000~3000 m和6000~7000 m处积雪面积占比均不到0.1%。积雪在北坡、东北坡的分布比例较高,均为15%以上;在南坡、西坡、西南坡、东南坡分布比例较低,均为10%左右。将基于GF-1影像获取的积雪分布分别与同日获取的根据MODIS V6积雪产品计算的积雪比例(MODIS FSC)和积雪分布的对比表明,64.4%的MODIS FSC像元绝对误差不超过10%,MODIS积雪分布产品对含雪像元的漏分率和误分率平均为33.8%和32.7%,说明MODIS积雪产品在研究区的精度还具有较高的不确定性,其对低覆盖积雪反演的精度较差。这表明利用MODIS积雪产品研究青藏高原东南部积雪的时空变化特征时还需要对其积雪反演算法进行改进,同时亟需加强地面观测和基于多源遥感数据的积雪研究。研究结果可为青藏高原东南部雪冰灾害防治提供支撑。     

Ecological effects of afforestation: a case study of Burrator, Dartmoor

Intensively managed coniferous afforestation schemes cause profound changes to the components of an ecosystem. This paper reviews the ecological effects of afforestation around Burrator Reservoir, Dartmoor (1916–1990). The human management decisions concerning the development of the plantations are considered, together with the ecological consequences. This research shows that the less intensive management regime for the forests at Burrator has resulted in a woodland ecosystem with a more complicated structure than might have been expected from a more intensively managed scheme. An assessment of the potential changes to forest management following water privatization is also made, together with a consideration of the possible ecological impacts.     

Validation of a region-wide model of landslide susceptibility in the Manawatu–Wanganui region of New Zealand

Since European settlement 160 years ago, much of the indigenous forest in New Zealand hill country has been cleared for pastoral agriculture, resulting in increased erosion and sedimentation. To prioritise soil conservation work in the Manawatu–Wanganui region, we developed a model of landslide susceptibility. It assigns high susceptibility to steep land not protected by woody vegetation and low susceptibility everywhere else, following the commonly used approach for identifying inappropriate land use. A major storm on 15–16 February 2004 that produced many landslides was used to validate the model. The model predicted hills at risk to landsliding with moderate accuracy: 58% of erosion scars in the February storm occurred on hillsides considered to be susceptible. The model concept of slope thresholds, above which the probability of landsliding is high and below which the probability is low, is not adequate because below 30° the probability of landsliding is approximately linearly related to slope. Thus, reforestation of steep slopes will need to be combined with improved vegetation management for soil conservation on moderate slopes to significantly reduce future landsliding.     

基于时序遥感的庐山自然保护区植被分类及其变化分析

自然保护区是生物多样性最丰富的区域,针对近年来庐山自然保护区森林生物多样性进行调查,了解保护区内植被的分布及其变化,对于保护庐山境内的林业资源具有重要的意义.论文利用2015-2018年Proba-Ⅴ卫星100m分辨率5d植被指数产品,使用最大值合成法、Hants时间序列谐波分析方法对数据进行平滑降噪处理,并采用随机森...     

基于MODIS影像的土地覆被分类研究——以京津冀地区为例

在全球变化研究中,如何快速、准确获取土地覆被信息对该项研究有着至关重要的作用.随着遥感科学的不断发展和应用领域的深入,研究者可以利用遥感影像进行土地覆被分类研究,并且具有准确、快速、自动化等优点.本文利用MODIS数据具有的多光谱、多时相特点,以京津冀地区为例,选取2013 年全年16-day 的MOD13Q1/EVI时间序列数据、2013 年5 月份一期的MOD09Q1(1、2 波段)和MOD09A1(3-7 波段)产品,并运用时间序列谐波分析法对全年MOD13Q1/EVI 时间序列数据进行去云、去噪的平滑重建处理,使其数据更能反映物候周期性变化规律.选择谐波分析后的全年MOD13Q1/EVI 时间序列数据、MODIS数据的1-7 波段地表反射率和NDWI(归一化差异水体指数)、MNDWI(改进归一化差异水体指数)和NDSI(土壤亮度指数),构建了3 种特征变量组合方案的CART决策树,分别进行京津冀地区的土地覆被分类研究.结果表明:方案一(全年EVI 的23 个时相)、方案二(方案一+MOD09 的1-7 波段地表反射率)和方案三(方案二+MNDWI+NDSI+NDWI)的总体分类精度分别达到86.70%、89.98%、91.34%,Kappa系数分别为84.94%、88.66%、90.20%.研究表明,仅利用MODIS遥感影像自身多种分类特征和决策树方法对宏观土地覆被分类就可达到较高精度,显示了本文分类方法在实践中的可行性及MODIS数据在区域尺度土地覆被分类研究方面的优势与潜力.