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Article

The Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Remotely-sensed Vegetation Phenology in Central Asia in the 1982–2011 Period

Roman BohovicInstitute of Geography, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech RepublicPetr DobrovolnýGlobal Change Research Institute CAS, v.v.i., Bělidla 4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech RepublicDoris KleinGerman Aerospace Center (DLR)-German Remote Sensing Data Center, Muenchner Strasse 20, 82234, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
2016en
ABI

Abstract

An understanding of present and past vegetation dynamics is essential to future reaction strategies to climate change, especially in developing regions. This study seeks to widen such knowledge by utilizing remotely-sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to compute phenology metrics for Central Asia in the 1982–2011 period. Spatial and temporal analysis was performed for nine phenological metrics and for sub- regions with consistent vegetation dynamics. A general increase of biomass was disclosed, except in bare deserts, and the growing season appears to be starting earlier. Despite of the dominant greening trend, deserts show inverse dynamics, possibly a sign of rising aridity.

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