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Human Land-Use Practices Lead to Global Long-Term Increases in Photosynthetic Capacity.
- Source :
- Remote Sensing; Jun2014, Vol. 6 Issue 6, p5717-5731, 15p
- Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Long-term trends in photosynthetic capacity measured with the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are usually associated with climate change. Human impacts on the global land surface are typically not accounted for. Here, we provide the first global analysis quantifying the effect of the earth's human footprint on NDVI trends. Globally, more than 20% of the variability in NDVI trends was explained by anthropogenic factors such as land use, nitrogen fertilization, and irrigation. Intensely used land classes, such as villages, showed the greatest rates of increase in NDVI, more than twice than those of forests. These findings reveal that factors beyond climate influence global long-term trends in NDVI and suggest that global climate change models and analyses of primary productivity should incorporate land use effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- LAND use
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
NITROGEN fertilizers
CLIMATE change
REMOTE sensing
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20724292
- Volume :
- 6
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Remote Sensing
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 97302889
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/rs6065717