Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators
Land degradation (LD) and desertification (DS) are a sensitive global issue including southern and south-eastern Europe, which is severely affected by climate change. In this study, a state-of-the-art approach for assessing the intensity of LD and DS processes using remote-sensing-derived indicators...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/19/4842 |
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| author | Irina Ontel Sorin Cheval Anisoara Irimescu George Boldeanu Vlad-Alexandru Amihaesei Denis Mihailescu Argentina Nertan Claudiu-Valeriu Angearu Vasile Craciunescu |
| author_facet | Irina Ontel Sorin Cheval Anisoara Irimescu George Boldeanu Vlad-Alexandru Amihaesei Denis Mihailescu Argentina Nertan Claudiu-Valeriu Angearu Vasile Craciunescu |
| author_sort | Irina Ontel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land degradation (LD) and desertification (DS) are a sensitive global issue including southern and south-eastern Europe, which is severely affected by climate change. In this study, a state-of-the-art approach for assessing the intensity of LD and DS processes using remote-sensing-derived indicators within a GIS environment was proposed. The analysis was carried out using the Principal Component Analysis based on integrating the significant trends of relevant biophysical parameters in Romania. The methodology was tested and validated at the national level in Romania. In total, 7.76% of the area was identified as LD and 60.8% of the total area tended to improve, and 31.44% was stable. Most of the regions with LD overlapped with the dryland areas, while improvement areas were identified outside of the drylands. In forested areas from high altitudes, a tendency to improve the condition of vegetation was observed, and most of the surfaces being protected were natural areas that have benefited from proper management. All these results can be used to adapt management practices to avoid, reduce, or restore the LD. The proposed model was based on globally available remote sensing datasets, with a high frequency of data acquisition and collection history that allows for the statistical analyses of changes on a global scale. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:35:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-887e543c4b8e440eb69b0d2b0121374a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:35:49Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-887e543c4b8e440eb69b0d2b0121374a2023-11-19T15:00:44ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922023-10-011519484210.3390/rs15194842Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing IndicatorsIrina Ontel0Sorin Cheval1Anisoara Irimescu2George Boldeanu3Vlad-Alexandru Amihaesei4Denis Mihailescu5Argentina Nertan6Claudiu-Valeriu Angearu7Vasile Craciunescu8Remote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Institute for Research and Development in Forestry “Marin Dracea”, 077190 Bucharest, RomaniaRemote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Geography, Doctoral School “Simion Mehedinți”, University of Bucharest, Blvd. Nicolae Bălcescu, no.1, 030018 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Climatology, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 01686 Bucharest, RomaniaRemote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaRemote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaRemote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaRemote Sensing and Satellite Meteorology Laboratory, National Meteorological Administration, 97 Sos. București-Ploiești, 013686 Bucharest, RomaniaLand degradation (LD) and desertification (DS) are a sensitive global issue including southern and south-eastern Europe, which is severely affected by climate change. In this study, a state-of-the-art approach for assessing the intensity of LD and DS processes using remote-sensing-derived indicators within a GIS environment was proposed. The analysis was carried out using the Principal Component Analysis based on integrating the significant trends of relevant biophysical parameters in Romania. The methodology was tested and validated at the national level in Romania. In total, 7.76% of the area was identified as LD and 60.8% of the total area tended to improve, and 31.44% was stable. Most of the regions with LD overlapped with the dryland areas, while improvement areas were identified outside of the drylands. In forested areas from high altitudes, a tendency to improve the condition of vegetation was observed, and most of the surfaces being protected were natural areas that have benefited from proper management. All these results can be used to adapt management practices to avoid, reduce, or restore the LD. The proposed model was based on globally available remote sensing datasets, with a high frequency of data acquisition and collection history that allows for the statistical analyses of changes on a global scale.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/19/4842land degradationdesertificationremote sensingPrincipal Component AnalysisRomania |
| spellingShingle | Irina Ontel Sorin Cheval Anisoara Irimescu George Boldeanu Vlad-Alexandru Amihaesei Denis Mihailescu Argentina Nertan Claudiu-Valeriu Angearu Vasile Craciunescu Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators Remote Sensing land degradation desertification remote sensing Principal Component Analysis Romania |
| title | Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators |
| title_full | Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators |
| title_short | Assessing the Recent Trends of Land Degradation and Desertification in Romania Using Remote Sensing Indicators |
| title_sort | assessing the recent trends of land degradation and desertification in romania using remote sensing indicators |
| topic | land degradation desertification remote sensing Principal Component Analysis Romania |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/19/4842 |
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