Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T21:43:37.877Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of global forest change between 1986 and 1993 using satellite-derived terrestrial net primary productivity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2009

Christine J. Jang ,
Yasuko Nishigami  and
Yukio Yanagisawa
Christine J. Jang
Affiliation:
System Analysis for Global Environment Laboratory (SAGE), Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9–2, Kizugamadai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619–02 Japan
Yasuko Nishigami
Affiliation:
System Analysis for Global Environment Laboratory (SAGE), Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9–2, Kizugamadai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619–02 Japan
Yukio Yanagisawa*
Affiliation:
System Analysis for Global Environment Laboratory (SAGE), Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9–2, Kizugamadai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619–02 Japan
*
* Yukio Yanagisawa Fax: +81 774 75 2317 email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Although forest removal has been well documented at a global level, knowledge of how major forest processes such as photosynthesis have been affected remains poor. Global forest change between 1986 and 1993 was assessed using the NOAA/AVHRR satellite data converted to terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP). Forest loss was a dominant feature in tropical regions, with the most severe destruction in Latin America followed by southeast Asia and Africa. Loss of high-productivity forests over wide areas was observed for countries such as Brazil and Bolivia. Further analysis showed that approximately 12% (9100999 km2) and 19% (2 600000 km2) of the low-NPP regions (<500 g m−2yr−1, e.g., deserts, tundra) and the high-NPP regions (> 2000 g m−2yr−1, e.g., tropical rain forests), respectively, were transformed to intermediate-NPP regions (500–1500 g m−2yr−1, e.g., savanna, grassland, or cultivated land), between 1986 and 1993. The extent of global forest degradation or fragmentation may be more severe than the deforestation itself. Low-latitude ecosystems were more prone to decline in NPP than mid- and high-latitude ecosystems. The NPP method offers insight into global forest change in a timely, practical and consistent manner.

Keywords

net primary productionnormalized difference vegetation indexglobal vegetation indexglobal carbon cycleNOAAsatellite data
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , December 1996 , pp. 315 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achard, F. & Blasco, F. (1990) Analysis of vegetation seasonal evolution and mapping of forest cover in West Africa with the use of NOAA AVHRR HRPT data. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 56(10): 1359–65.Google Scholar
Box, E.O., Holben, B.N. & Kalb, V. (1989) Accuracy of the AVHRR vegetation index as a predictor of biomass, primary productivity and net CO2 flux. Vegetatio 80(71): 71–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, C. (1992) Empirical evidence for the effect of tropical deforestation on climatic change. Environmental Conservation 19(1): 39–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, A.G., Janetos, A.C., & Hinds, W.T. (1990) Global effects of tropical deforestation: towards an integrated perspective. Environmental Conservation 17(3): 201–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, R.K., Brown, S., Houghton, R.A., Solomon, A.M., Trexler, M.C. & Wisneiwski, J. (1994) Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 263(14): 185–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dixon, R.K. (1995) Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Proceedings of the Tsukuba Global Carbon Cycle Workshop: Global Environment Tsukuba ‘95, ed. by Matsuno, T., pp. 117–19. Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibakari, Japan: vii + 174 pp.Google Scholar
Environmental Protection Agency (1992) Global Ecosystems Database: Version 1.0 (on CD-ROM). EPA, Colorado, USA.Google Scholar
FAO (1993) Forest Resources Assessment 1990: Tropical Countries. FAO Forestry Paper 112. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: x + 59 pp + bibliography + annexes.Google Scholar
FAO (1995) Forest Resources Assessment 1990: Global Synthesis. FAO Forestry Paper 124. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: x + 44 pp.Google Scholar
Fearnside, P.M. (1990) The rate and extent of deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia. Environmental Conservation 17(3): 213–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francey, R.J.Tans, P.P., Allison, C.E., Enting, I.G., White, J.W.C. & Trolier, M. (1995) Changes in oceanic and terrestrial carbon uptake since 1982. Nature 373: 326–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Global Tomorrow Coalition (1990) Tropical forests. The Global Ecology Handbook, ed. by Corson, W.H., pp. 115–33. Boston, USA: Beacon Press xvii + 414 pp.Google Scholar
Goreau, T.J. & DeMello, W.Z. (1988) Tropical deforestation: some effects on atmospheric chemistry. Ambio 17: 275–81.Google Scholar
Gutman, G. & Ignatov, A. (1995) Global land monitoring from AVHRR: potential and limitations. International Journal of Remote Sensing 16(13): 2301–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halpert, M.S., Ropelewski, C.F.Karl, T.R., Angell, J.K., Stowe, L.L., Helm, R.R., Miller, A.J. & Rodenhuis, D.R. (1993) 1992 brings return to moderate global temperatures. Eos. Transactions, American Geophysical Union 74(38): 433–39.Google Scholar
Hanan, N.P., Prince, S.D. & Holben, B.N. (1995) Atmospheric correction of AVHRR data for biophysical remote sensing of the Sahel. Remote Sensing of Environment 51: 306–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harriss, R.C., Wofsy, S.C., Garstang, M., Browell, E.V., Motion, L.C.B., McNeal, R.J., Hoell, J.M., Bendura, R.J., Beck, S.M., Navarro, R.L., Riley, J.T. & Snell, R.L. (1988) The Amazon boundary layer experiment dry season, 1985. Journal of Geophysical Research 93: 1351–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holben, B.N. (1986) Characteristics of maximum value composite images from temporal AVHRR data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 7: 1417–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holben, B., Vermote, E., Kaulfman, Y.J., Tanré, D. & Kalb, V. (1992) Aerosol retrieval over land from AVHRR data-application for atmospheric correction. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 30(2): 212–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houghlon, R.A. (1991) Tropical deforestation and atmospheric carbon dioxide. Climatic Change 19: 99–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houghton, R.A. (1992) The future role of tropical forests in affecting the carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere. Ambio 19(4): 204–9.Google Scholar
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1996) Radiative forcing of climate change. In: The Science of Climate Change, 1995, cd. Houghton, J.T., Meira Filho, L.G., Bruce, J., Lee, H., Callander, B.A., Haitcs, E., Harris & K. Maskell, N., pp. 65–131. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press: vii + 339 pp.Google Scholar
Jenkinson, D.S., Potts, J.M., Perry, J.N., Barnett, V., Coleman, K. & Johnston, A.E. (1994) Trends in herbage yields over the last century on the Rothamstcd long-term continuous hay experiment. Journal of Agricultural Science 122: 365–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jeyaseelan, A.T. & Thiruvengadachari, S. (1993) Suspected Mt. Pinatubo aerosol impact on the NOAA AVHRR NDVI over India. International Journal of Remote Sensing 14(3): 603–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufman, Y.J. & Tanré, D. (1992) Atmospherically resistant vegetation index (ARVI) for EOS-MODIS. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 30(2): 261–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufman, Y.J. & Rcmer, L.A. (1994) Detection of forests using mid-IR reflectance: an application for aerosol studies. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 32(3): 672–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeling, C.D., Whorf, T.P., Wahlen, M. & Van der Plicht, J. (1995) Interannual extremes in the rate of rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1980. Nature 375: 555–670.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kidwell, K.B., ed. (1994) Global Vegetation Index: User's Guide. Washington, DC, USA: US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: vi + 52 pp. + appendices.Google Scholar
Laporte, N., Justice, C. & Kendall, J. (1995) Mapping the dense humid forest of Cameroon and Zaire using AVHRR satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 16(6): 1127–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Long, C.S. & Stowe, L.L. (1994) Using the NOAA/AVHRR to study stratospheric aerosol optical thicknesses following the Mt. Pinatubo eruption Geophysical Research Letters 21(20): 2215–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lo Seen Chong, D., Mougin, E. & Gastellu-Etchegorry, J.P. (1993) Relating the global vegetation index to net primary productivity and actual evapo-transpiration over Africa. International Journal of Remote Sensing 14(8): 1517–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lo Seen Chong, D., Mougin, E., Rambal, S., Gaston, A. & Hicrnaux, P. (1995) A regional Sahelian grassland model to be coupled with multispcc-tral satellite data. II: toward the control of its simulations by remotely sensed indices. Remote Sensing of Environment 52: 194–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maisongrande, P., Ruimy, A., Dedieu, G. & Saugier, B. (1995) Monitoring seasonal and interannual variations of gross primary productivity, net primary productivity and net ecosystem productivity using a diagnostic model and remotely-sensed data. Tellus 47B: 178–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malingreau, J.P. & Tucker, C.J. (1988) Large-scale deforestation in the south-eastern Amazon basin of Brazil. Ambio 17: 49–55.Google Scholar
Malingreau, J.P., Tucker, C.J. & Laporte, N. (1989) AVHRR for monitoring global tropical deforestation. International Journal of Remote Sensing 10 (4 & 5): 855–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGuire, A.D., Melillo, J.M., Joyce, L.A., Kicklightcr, D.W., Grace, A.L., Moore, B. & Vorosmarty, C.J. (1992) Interactions between carbon and nitrogen dynamics in estimating net primary productivity for potential vegetation in North America. Global Biogiochemical Cycles 6: 101–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melillo, J.M., McGuire, A.D., Kicklighter, D.W., Moore, B., Vorosmarty, C.J. & Schloss, A.L. (1993) Global climate change and terrestrial net primary production. Nature 363: 234–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minnis, P., Harrison, E.F., Stowe, L.L., Gibwson, G.G., Denn, F.M., Doclling, D.R. & Smith, W.L. (1993) Radiative climate forcing by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Science 259: 1411–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mooney, H.A., Vithousek, P.M. & Matson, P.A. (1987) Exchange of materials between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Science 238: 926–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Myers, N. (1988) Tropical deforestation and climatic change. Environmental Conservation 15(4): 293–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, N. (1995) The world's forests: need for a policy appraisal. Science 268: 823–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norby, R.J., Gunderson, C.A., Wullschleger, S.D., O'Neill, E.G. & McCracken, M.K. (1992) Productivity and compensatory response of yello-popular trees in elevated CO2. Nature 357: 322–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, R.W. (1993) Impact of Mt. Pinatubo 3erosols on satellite-derived sea surface temperatures. Journal of Climate 6: 768–74.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosencranz, A. & Scott, A. (1992) Siberia's threatened forests. Nature 355: 293–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Running, S.W. (1990) Estimating teVrestrial primary productivity by combining remote sensing and ecosystem simulation. In: Remote Sensing of Biosphere Functioning, ed. by Hobbs, R.J. & Mooney, H.A., pp. 65–86. New York, NY, USA: Springer-Verlag: vii + 312 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schimel, D.S. (1995) Terrestrial ecosystems and the carbon cycle. Global Change Biology 1(77): 77–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schultz, P.A. & Halpert, M.S. (1995) Global analysis of the relationships among a vegetation index, precipitation and land surface temperature. International Journal of Remote Sensing 16(15): 2755–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sedjo, R.A. (1992) Temperate forest ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. Ambio 21(4): 274–7.Google Scholar
Skole, D. & Tucker, C. (1993) Tropical deforestation and habitat fragmentation in the amazon: satellite data from 1978 to 1988. Science 260: 1905–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, N.J.H. & Schultes, R.E. (1990) Deforestation and shrinking crop gene-pools in Amazonia. Environmental Conservation 17(3): 227–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soufflet, V., Tanré, D., Begue, A., Podaire, A. & Deschamps, P.Y. (1991) Atmospheric effects on NOAA AVHRR data over Sahelian regions. International Journal of Remote Sensing 12(6): 1189–203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanré, D., Holben, B.N. & Kaufman, Y.J. (1992) Atmospheric correction algorithm for NOAA-AVHRR products: theory and application. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 30(2): 231–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tivy, J. (1993) Biogeography: A Study of Plants in the Ecosphere (3rd ed.). New York, NY, USA: Longman Scientific & Technical, copublished with John Wiley & Sons: xix + 452 pp.Google Scholar
Vitousek, P.M. & Howarth, R.W. (1991) Nitrogen limitation on land and in the sea: how can it occur? Biogcochemislry 13: 87–115.Google Scholar
Whittaker, R.H. & Likens, G.E. (1973) Primary production: the biosphere and man. Human Ecology 1(4): 357–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wofsy, S.C., Goulden, M.L., Munger, J.W., Fan, S.M.Bakvvin, P.S., Daube, B.C., Bassow, S.L. & Bazzaz, F.A. (1993) Net exchange of CO2 in a mid-latitude forest. Science 260: 1314–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar