Abstract
Coarse-scale, multitemporal satellite image data were evaluated as a tool for detecting variation in vegetation productivity, as a potential indicator of change in rangeland condition in the western U.S. The conterminous U.S. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) biweekly composite data set was employed using the six-year time series 1989–1994. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image bands for the state of New Mexico were imported into a Geographic Information System (GIS) for analysis with other spatial data sets. Averaged NDVI was calculated for each year, and a series of regression analyses were performed using one year as the baseline. Residuals from the regression line indicated 14 significant areas of NDVI change: two with lower NDVI, and 11 with higher NDVI. Rangeland management changes, cross-country military training activities, and increases in irrigated cropland were among the identified causes of change.
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Minor, T.B., Lancaster, J., Wade, T.G. et al. Evaluating Change in Rangeland Condition using Multitemporal AVHRR Data and Geographic Information System Analysis. Environ Monit Assess 59, 211–223 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006126622200
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006126622200