Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Vegetation fractional coverage change in a typical oasis region in Tarim River Watershed based on remote sensing

  • Published:
Journal of Arid Land Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Vegetation fractional coverage (VFC) is an important index to describe and evaluate the ecological system. The vegetation index is widely used to monitor vegetation coverage in the field of remote sensing (RS). In this paper, the author conducted a case study of the delta oasis of Weigan and Kuqa rivers, which is a typical saline area in the Tarim River Watershed. The current study was based on the TM/ETM+ images of 1989, 2001, and 2006, and supported by Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial analysis, vegetation index, and dimidiate pixel model. In addition, VBSI (vegetation, bare soil and shadow indices) suitable for TM/ETM+ images, constructed with FCD (forest canopy density) model principle and put forward by ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization), was used, and it was applied to estimate the VFC. The estimation accuracy was later proven to be up to 83.52%. Further, the study analyzed and appraised the changes in vegetation patterns and revealed a pattern of spatial change in the vegetation coverage of the study area by producing the map of VFC levels in the delta oasis. Forest, grassland, and farmland were the three main land-use types with high and extremely-high coverage, and they played an important role in maintaining the vegetation. The forest area determined the changes of the coverage area, whereas the other two land types affected the directions of change. Therefore, planting trees, protecting grasslands, reclaiming farmlands, and controlling unused lands should be included in a long-term program because of their importance in keeping regional vegetation coverage. Finally, the dynamic variation of VFC in the study area was evaluated according to the quantity and spatial distribution rendered by plant cover digital images to deeply analyze the reason behind the variation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cai T J, Ju C Y, Yao Y F. 2005. Quantitative estimation of vegetation coverage in Mu Us sandy land based on RS and GIS. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 16(12): 2301–2305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen J, Chen Y H, He C Y, et al. 2001. Sub-pixel model for vegetation fraction estimation based on land cover classification. Journal of Remote Sensing, 5(6): 416–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Q, Chen Y F. 2006. Monitoring vegetation coverage degree of forestland converted from cropland by applying high resolution sat ellite image. Scientia Silave Sinicae, 42(Suppl.): 5–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan J L, Zhang X Y. 2009. RS-based analysis on the temporal changes in vegetation in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in the last 18 years. Arid Zone Research, 26(1): 53–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gai Y Q, Li X B, Zhang L, et al. 2009. Land use/cover change and vegetation coverage monitoring by remote sensing: a case study of Miyun, Beijing. Resources Science, 31(3): 523–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gitelson A A, Kaufman Y J, Stark R, et al. 2001. Novel algorithms for remote estimation of vegetation fraction. Remote Sensing of Environment, 80(1): 76–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godínez-Alvarez H, Herrick J E, Mattocks M, et al. 2009. Comparison of three vegetation monitoring methods: their relative utility for ecological assessment and monitoring. Ecological Indications, 9(5): 1001–1008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu J B, Chen W, Li X Y, et al. 2009. Urban vegetation coverage change inside the Third-Ring Road of Shengyang city, China: a study with linear spectral unmixing technique. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 20(5): 1140–1146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang H, Wang X Q, Chen X. 2005. A method for abstraction of vegetation density from SPOT image. Geo-information Science, 7(4): 113–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang H, Wang Q M, Wang X Q. 2006. Dynamic monitoring of vegetation fraction by remote sensing in Changting county of Fujian province. Journal of Natural Resources, 21(1): 126–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiapaer G L, Chen X, Bao A M. 2011. A comparison of methods for estimating fractional vegetation cover in arid regions. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151(12): 1698–1710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leprieur C, Verstraete M M, Pinty B. 1994. Evaluation of the performance of various vegetation indices to retrieve vegetation cover from AVHRR data. Remote Sensing Reviews, 10(4): 265–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li B G, Tao S. 2000. Correlation between AVHRR NDVI and climate factors. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 20(5): 898–902.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Lu Z L, Li D Z, et al. 2009. Estimation and monitoring of vegetation coverage dynamics in Chongming county of Shanghai by RS method. Urban Environment & Urban Ecology, 22(2): 8–11, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li M M, Wu B F, Yan C Z, et al. 2004. Estimation of vegetation fraction in the upper basin of Miyun Reservoir by remote sensing. Resources Science, 26(4): 153–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li X Q, Sun D F, Zhang F R. 2003. Landscape pattern analysis on change in the fraction of green vegetation based on remotely sensed data in Beijing mountainous area. Journal of Mountain Science, 21(3): 272–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Y F, Liu G H. 2012. Characteristics of vegetation cover changes in Lantsang Basin based on MODIS vegetation index product (MOD13). Resources Science, 34(7): 1214–1221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Yin S, Zhang G S, et al. 2009. Dynamic change of vegetation coverage of Mu Us sandland over the 17 years by remote sensing monitor. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 23(7): 162–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu X F, Ren Z Y. 2012. Vegetation coverage change and its relationship with climate factors in northwest China. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 45(10): 1954–1963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y A, Huang B, Cheng T, et al. 2012. Vegetation coverage in upper Huaihe River Basin based on binary pixel model of remote sensing. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 32(1): 93–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma N, Hu Y F, Zhuang D F, et al. 2012. Vegetation coverage distribution and its changes in plan blue banner based on remote sensing data and dimidiate pixel model. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 32(2): 251–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma X D, Chen Y N, Zhu C G, et al. 2011. The variation in soil moisture and the appropriate groundwater table for desert riparian forest along the lower Tarim River. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 21(1): 150–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 2004. Landsat 7 Science Data Users Handbook. USA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center. [2009-08-04]. http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/IAS/handbook/handbook_htmls/chapter11/chapter11.html.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niu B R, Liu J R, Wang Z W. 2005. Remote sensing information extraction based on vegetation fraction in drought and half-drought area. Geomatics and Information Science of Wuhan Universtiy, 30(1): 271–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel N K, Saxena R K, Shiwalkar A. 2007. Study of fractional vegetation cover using high spectral resolution data. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 35(1): 73–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purvedorj T S, Tateishi R, Ishiyama T. 1998. Relationships between percent vegetation cover and vegetation indices. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 19(18): 3519–3535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qi J, Marsett R C, Moran M S, et al. 2000. Spatial and temporal dynamics of vegetation in the San Pedro River Basin area. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 105(1): 55–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiao F, Zhang K B, Zhang S Y. 2006. RS Monitoring on the dynamic change of vegetation coverage in a farming-pasturing ecotone: a case study in Yanchi county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Arid Zone Research, 23(2): 283–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rikimaru A. 1996. Landsat TM data processing guide for forest canopy density mapping and monitoring model. Bangkok: ITTO Workshop on Utilization of Remote Sensing in Site Assessment and Planning for Rehabilitation of Logged-over Forest, July 30–August 1, 1–8.

  • Rikimaru A, Miyatake S. 1997. Development of forest canopy density mapping and monitoring model using indices of vegetation, bare soil and shadow. Colombo: Asian Conference for Remote Sensing. [1997-10-5]. http://www.a-a-r-s.org/acrs/proceeding/ACRS1997/Papers/FR97-5.htm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellers P J, Los S O, Tucker C J, et al. 1996. A revised land surface parameterization (SiB2) for atmospheric GCMs. Part II: the generation of global fields of terrestrial biophysical parameters from satellite data. Journal of Climate, 9(4): 706–737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang H, Qiao X N, Yang D G, et al. 2012. Characteristics of temporal and spatial dynamic changes of land use and their relationship with regional development: a case study in the Weigan River Basin. Agricultural Research in the Arid Areas, 30(3): 205–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China. 2007. Technical Regulation for the Second National Land Survey. Beijing: China Standardization Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China. 1996. Standards for Classification and Gradation of Soil Erosion (SL190-96). Beijing: China Water Power Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang L W, Wei Y X, Niu Z. 2008. Analysis of vegetation spatial and temporal variations in Qinghai Province based on remote sensing. Environmental Science, 29(6): 1754–1760.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang X Z, Liang Z X, Zhou X H, et al. 2012. Vegetation coverage and climate change of Maqu county in source region of Yellow River. Research of Soil and Water Conservation, 19(2): 57–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie X H, Lai R W, Li Y S. 2008. The analysis and appraisal of vegetation coverage pattern in Minjiang Watershed. Journal of Guizhou University: Natural Science, 25(5): 536–539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang G H, Bao A M, Chen X, et al. 2009. Study of the vegetation cover change and its driving factors over Xinjiang during 1998–2007. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology, 31(3): 436–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang G H, Bao A M, Chen X, et al. 2010. Vegetation cover change with climate and land use variation along main stream of Tarim River. Journal of Desert Research, 30(6): 1389–1397.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B Y, Yu Z Z, Liu L Y, et al. 2008. Study on the vegetation coverage changes monitoring of Beijing city by remote sensing. Areal Research and Development, 27(1): 108–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Tiyip T, Ding J L, et al. 2009a. Correspondence analysis of relationship between characteristics and spectra of soil salinization. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 46(3): 513–519.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J X, Liu Z J, Sun X X. 2009b. Changing landscape in the three gorges reservoir area of Yangtze River from 1977 to 2005: land use/land cover, vegetation cover changes estimated using multi-source satellite data. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 11(6): 403–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W B, Liu B Y, Wu J D. 2001a. Monitoring of plant coverage of plots by visual estimation and overhead photograph. Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation, 21(6): 60–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W B, Fu S H, Liu B Y. 2001b. Error assessment of visual estimation plant coverage. Journal of Beijing Normal University: Natural Science, 37(3): 402–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y X, Li X B, Chen Y H. 2003. Overview of field and multi-scale remote sensing measurement approaches to grassland vegetation coverage. Advance in Earth Sciences, 18(1): 85–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zribi M, Le Hégarat-Mascle, Taconet O, et al. 2003. Derivation of wild vegetation cover density in semi-arid regions: ERS2/SAR evaluation. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 24(6): 1335–1352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Fei Zhang, Tashpolat Tiyip, JianLi Ding, Mamat Sawut & Nigara Tashpolat

  2. Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Fei Zhang, Tashpolat Tiyip, JianLi Ding, Mamat Sawut & Nigara Tashpolat

  3. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, Colorado, 81501, USA

    Verner Carl Johnson

  4. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

    DongWei Gui

  5. Cele National Station of Observation & Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystem in Xinjiang, Cele, 848300, China

    DongWei Gui

Authors
  1. Fei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tashpolat Tiyip
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. JianLi Ding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mamat Sawut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Verner Carl Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Nigara Tashpolat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. DongWei Gui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fei Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, F., Tiyip, T., Ding, J. et al. Vegetation fractional coverage change in a typical oasis region in Tarim River Watershed based on remote sensing. J. Arid Land 5, 89–101 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-013-0145-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-013-0145-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation