0000000000226585
AUTHOR
Elias Symeonakis
Eco-geomorphological connectivity and coupling interactions at hillslope scale in drylands: Concepts and critical examples
The diagnosis of land degradation requires a deep understanding of ecosystem functioning and evolution. In dryland systems, in particular, research efforts must address the redistribution of scarce resources for vegetation, in a context of high spatial heterogeneity and non-linear response. This fact explains the prevalence of eco-hydrological perspectives interested in runoff processes and, the more recent, focused on connectivity as an indicator of system resource optimisation. From a geomorphological perspective and reviewing the concepts of eco-hydro-geomorphological interactions operating in ecosystems, this paper explores the effects of erosion on vegetation configuration through two …
Monitoring desertification and land degradation over sub-Saharan Africa
A desertification monitoring system is developed that uses four indicators derived using continental-scale remotely sensed data: vegetation cover, rain use efficiency (RUE), surface run-off and soil erosion. These indicators were calculated on a dekadal time step for 1996. Vegetation cover was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The estimation of RUE also employed NDVI and, in addition, rainfall derived from Meteosat cold cloud duration data. Surface run-off was modelled using the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) model parametrized using the rainfall estimates, vegetation cover, land cover, and digital soil maps. Soil erosion, one of the most indicative paramet…
Multi-temporal Forest Cover Change and Forest Density Trend Detection in a Mediterranean Environment
The loss of forests along with the various types of shrubs in the Mediterranean region is seen as an important driver of climate change and has been repeatedly related with the observed land degradation and desertification in the region. Nevertheless, the extent of woody perennial vegetation cover (WPVC) and its density remain largely unclear. Here, we apply a series of algorithms and methods operationally used in Australia for large-scale WPVC mapping and monitoring and demonstrate their applicability in the Mediterranean region using a Spanish area as the trial site. Five Landsat TM and ETM+ images from various dates spanning 14 years are used to map changes in the extent of WPVC and to i…
Near Real-Time Modelling of Regional Scale Soil Erosion Using AVHRR and METEOSAT Data: A Tool for Monitoring the Impact of Sediment Yield on the Biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika
List of Contributors. Preface. 1. Spatial Modelling of the Terrestrial Environment: The Coupling of Remote Sensing with Spatial Models (Richard E.J. Kelly, Nicholas A. Drake and Stuart L. Barr). PART I: HYDROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS. Editorial: Spatial Modelling in Hydrology (Richard E.J. Kelly). 2. Modelling Ice Sheet Dynamics with the Aid of Satellite Derived Topography (Jonathan L. Bamber). 3. Using Remote Sensing and Spatial Models to Monitor Snow Depth and Snow Water Equivalent (Richard E. J. Kelly, Alfred T. C. Chang, James L. Foster and Dorothy K. Hall). 4. Using Coupled Land Surface and Microwave Emission Models to Address Issues in Satellite--Based Estimates of Soil Moisture (Eleanor J…