[pp.11-22]

Desertification Assessment Using Multivariate Data and Overlay Analysis in Kerqin Sandy Land, China

Meng GUO, Xiufeng WANG, Nobuhiro MATSUOKA, Hiroshi TANI and Shinji MATSUMURA （Hokkaido University / Chiba University / Kagawa University）

Abstract:
Desertification is a serious threat to the sustainability of the environment and human habitation. However, because of differences in study scales and areas, there has not been a general method to assess desertification accurately. In this study, we propose for the first time an index of Brightness minus Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (B-NDVI) according to the spectral characteristics of sandy land to classify Kerqin Sandy Land of China. A multi-component Geographic Information System (GIS) framework is used to overlay five layers (land cover map, B-NDVI, soil map, evaporation to precipitation and wind velocity) to assess the desertification process from 1977 to 2009. From the comparisons, desertification was found to increase from 1977 to 1992 and then to decrease afterward. This study provides an effective index to study desertification and a tool that can be used to assess desertification efficiency.

Key Word:
B-NDVI, desertification, Landsat TM/ETM+, layer overlay

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