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

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, VBSl （vegetation, bare soil and shadow indices） suitable for TM/ETM＋ irrlages, 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 prow^n 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 diigital images to deeply analyze the reason behind the variation.

Using a modified PAP/RAC model and GIS-for mapping water erosion and causal risk factors:Case study of the Asfalou watershed,Morocco

Our work focuses on the assessment of trends,erosion states and causal risk factors for soil erosion of the Asfalou watershed through the use of the Priority Actions Program/Regional Activity Center(PAP/RAC).This qualitative study model for water erosion makes it possible to assess susceptibility and determine potential fragile areas in order to diagnose the state of soil degradation.We adopted the PAP/RAC crossed matrices,the geographic information system(GIS)and remote sensing(RS)to develop the classical modelling.This method is based on three main approaches:predictive,descriptive and integration.Introducing soil types,slope length(LS)and climatic factors into our model,including rainfall erosivity(R),slope exposure,soil moisture index(SMI)and land surface temperature(LST),improved the reli-ability of our model.The correlation analysis identified these factors that explain erosion states and the risk of soil erosion.The coefficients of determination(R2)of the various erosive states resulting from the modified PAP/RAC approach explain respectively 98.30%,77%and 49.3%of the observed variability of the erosive states.These factors provide information on the current state of soil degradation depending on the degree of influence of the different factors that control erosion.The descriptive approach has shown that soil loss manifests itself in different forms,whether for sheet erosion(L)and ravines(C1)succes-sively affecting 79.95%and 17.84%of the land.The integration approach identifies factors and areas requiring intervention to counter the effects of soil erosion in the Asfalou watershed effectively and sustainably.