Assessing phenological change in China from 1982 to 2006 using AVHRR imagery

doi:10.1007/s11707-012-0321-3

Front Earth Sci

0, Vol.

Issue () : 227-236 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-012-0321-3

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Assessing phenological change in China from 1982 to 2006 using AVHRR imagery

Haiyan WEI¹(

), Philip HEILMAN¹, Jiaguo QI², Mark A. NEARING¹, Zhihui GU³, Yongguang ZHANG⁴

1. USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center, AZ 85719, USA; 2. Michigan State University, MI 48824-1117, USA; 3. Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; 4. Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

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Abstract

Long-term trends in vegetation phenology indicate ecosystem change due to the combined impacts of human activities and climate. In this study we used 1982 to 2006 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (AVHRR NDVI) imagery across China and the TIMESAT program to quantify annual vegetation production and its changing trend. Results showed great spatial variability in vegetation growth and its temporal trend across the country during the 25-year study period. Significant decreases in vegetation production were detected in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and in industrializing regions in southern China, including the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and areas along the Yangtze River. Significant increases in vegetation production were found in Xinjiang, Central China, and North-east China. Validation of the NDVI trends and vegetated area changes were conducted using Landsat imagery and the results were consistent with the analysis from AVHRR data. We also found that although the causes of the vegetation change vary locally, the spatial pattern of the vegetation change and the areas of greatest impact from national policies launched in the 1970s, such as the opening of economic zones and the ‘Three-North Shelter Forest Programme’, are similar, which indicates an impact of national policies on ecosystem change and that such impacts can be detected using the method described in this paper.

Keywords AVHRR China remote sensing climate change policy desertification temporal trend phenology

Corresponding Author(s): WEI Haiyan,Email:haiyan.wei@gmail.com

Issue Date: 05 September 2012

Cite this article:

Haiyan WEI,Philip HEILMAN,Jiaguo QI, et al. Assessing phenological change in China from 1982 to 2006 using AVHRR imagery[J]. Front Earth Sci, 0, (): 227-236.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-012-0321-3
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y0/V/I/227

Fig.1 Seasonal parameters computed in TIMESAT: (a) beginning of season; (b) peak; (c) end of growing season; (d) amplitude; (e) small integral over the growing season, area between NDVI curve and zero level; (f) base value; (Adapted from )

Fig.2 The small integral over the growing season in 1982 across China

Fig.3 Different vegetation dynamics explain the difference in small integral in deciduous and evergreen forests. Data was extracted for E’erguna-Zuo Qi in the North-east China (deciduous) and Sanming City in the South-east China (evergreen), respectively, in 1982

Fig.4 Trend of vegetation growth during 1982 to 2006, indicated by the slope value of linear relationship between annual small integral over growing season with year (≤0.05). The number and location names are selected counties that show significant positive or negative trends (see Figs. 5 and 6)

Fig.5 Examples of positive (upper panel) and negative (lower panel) trends in vegetation growth for eight selected counties

Tab.1 Trend of small integral over growing season at locations indicated in Fig. 4

Fig.6 Time series of annual rainfall during 1982 to 2006 at selected counties indicated there were no significant precipitation changes at these locations

Fig.7 Location of Landsat image pairs used for validation (quadrangle with number 1-8). Legend refers to Fig. 4

Fig.8 Validation of AVHRR NDVI using Landsat data

Tab.2 Vegetation change at 8 locations based on classification on Landsat images

Fig.9 Vegetation area classified from Landsat image, (a) Xinjiang, Sep 15, 1977; (b) Xinjiang, Sep 14, 2000; (c) Guangdong, Aug 16,1984; (d) Guangdong, July 22, 2001

Fig.10 The cultivated land area in Shanghai decreased 35% from 1978 to 2005, based on data from Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau.

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