Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China

Comprehensive management of the ecological environment and sustainable ecological development, such as the gully control and land consolidation (GCLC) project, may affect surface vegetation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a sensitive indicator of vegetation dynamics; however, a...

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Main Authors: Wang Jing, Hu Yi, Yang Liangyan, Bai Qingjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2022-10-01
Series:Open Geosciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0392
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author Wang Jing
Hu Yi
Yang Liangyan
Bai Qingjun
author_facet Wang Jing
Hu Yi
Yang Liangyan
Bai Qingjun
author_sort Wang Jing
collection DOAJ
description Comprehensive management of the ecological environment and sustainable ecological development, such as the gully control and land consolidation (GCLC) project, may affect surface vegetation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a sensitive indicator of vegetation dynamics; however, an in-depth study that continually monitors the spatial and temporal variation of regional vegetation before and after the implementation of the GCLC project is still scarce. To address this issue, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of Landsat surface reflectance-derived NDVI data in the Jiulongquan watershed in Yan’an City, China, from 2010 to 2019, and examined the main driving factors for these variations. Results showed high overall vegetation coverage in the evaluated watershed. The NDVI was spatially varied and tended to be low in the gully area and high on the slope. From 2010 to 2019, the NDVI values exhibited an increasing trend, and the most evident changes were concentrated in the gully areas. The changes in NDVI were mainly driven by human activities rather than the evaluated climatic factors. This work indicates that the GCLC project had positive effects on the ecological and agricultural environment at a regional scale.
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spelling doaj.art-2576dae309a3472a84cc4646aa38abf52022-12-22T03:28:06ZengDe GruyterOpen Geosciences2391-54472022-10-011411160116910.1515/geo-2022-0392Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, ChinaWang Jing0Hu Yi1Yang Liangyan2Bai Qingjun3Key Laboratory of Degraded and Unused Land Consolidation Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an, 710075, ChinaKey Laboratory of Degraded and Unused Land Consolidation Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an, 710075, ChinaKey Laboratory of Degraded and Unused Land Consolidation Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an, 710075, ChinaInstitute of Water Resources and Hydro-Electric Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, ChinaComprehensive management of the ecological environment and sustainable ecological development, such as the gully control and land consolidation (GCLC) project, may affect surface vegetation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a sensitive indicator of vegetation dynamics; however, an in-depth study that continually monitors the spatial and temporal variation of regional vegetation before and after the implementation of the GCLC project is still scarce. To address this issue, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of Landsat surface reflectance-derived NDVI data in the Jiulongquan watershed in Yan’an City, China, from 2010 to 2019, and examined the main driving factors for these variations. Results showed high overall vegetation coverage in the evaluated watershed. The NDVI was spatially varied and tended to be low in the gully area and high on the slope. From 2010 to 2019, the NDVI values exhibited an increasing trend, and the most evident changes were concentrated in the gully areas. The changes in NDVI were mainly driven by human activities rather than the evaluated climatic factors. This work indicates that the GCLC project had positive effects on the ecological and agricultural environment at a regional scale.https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0392ndvicorrelation analysistrend analysisclimatic factorshuman activities
spellingShingle Wang Jing
Hu Yi
Yang Liangyan
Bai Qingjun
Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
Open Geosciences
ndvi
correlation analysis
trend analysis
climatic factors
human activities
title Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
title_full Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
title_fullStr Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
title_full_unstemmed Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
title_short Spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in Loess Plateau, China
title_sort spatial and temporal variations of vegetation coverage and their driving factors following gully control and land consolidation in loess plateau china
topic ndvi
correlation analysis
trend analysis
climatic factors
human activities
url https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0392
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