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Monitoring vegetation cover in Chongqing between 2001 and 2010 using remote sensing data

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Abstract

In this study, we applied asymmetric Gaussian function fitting to reconstruct a high-quality MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series dataset. Following this, we retrieved vegetation cover data from the Chongqing area between 2001 and 2010 using this dataset, applying a dimidiate pixel method. We then used several analytical indices to analyze spatial and temporal changes and trends related to these changes. We determined that a reconstruction of the MODIS NDVI dataset using asymmetric Gaussian fitting in conjunction with a data quality weight coefficient improved data quality and created a foundation for accurate estimations of vegetation cover. We also determined that vegetation cover in the Chongqing area decreased gradually from east to west. During the 10-year study period, vegetation cover in the Chongqing area generally increased, changing from low to high coverage. This increase in vegetation cover was mainly the result of ecological protection policies and improving climate conditions. We also found that changes in vegetation cover were mainly the result of urban construction and afforestation initiatives, but vegetation cover improved overall.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Foundation of Natural Sciences of China (No. 31570612).We would like to thank Brian DOONAN for his help in writing this paper as well as to the journal editors and anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Ecology, and Resources Research in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Qiang Xiao, Jianping Tao & Feng Qian

  2. Chongqing College of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Qiang Xiao

  3. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Yang Xiao

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  1. Qiang Xiao
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  2. Jianping Tao
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Correspondence to Jianping Tao.

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Xiao, Q., Tao, J., Xiao, Y. et al. Monitoring vegetation cover in Chongqing between 2001 and 2010 using remote sensing data. Environ Monit Assess 189, 493 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6210-1

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