Monitoring Regional Vegetation Changes in Seward Peninsula, Alaska, Using Remote Sensing Technique

Arctic vegetation has been undergoing various transitions depending on its regional characteristics and numerous contributors to these changes include direct human impact and natural changes in the earth’s climate system. The commonest causes of the vegetation change over a large arctic area are climatic. The Seward Peninsula in Alaska was reported diverse vegetation variations induced by possible climatic factors such as warming and drought conditions. Satellite observations have provided retrospective research on vegetation density patterns and changes over a long period in Arctic tundra environment. Landsat imagery has allowed documentation of spatial and temporal vegetation changes and investigation of the relationship to regional weather variations. Completed within this thesis are time-series NDVI maps of Council area in Seward Peninsula performed by both NDVI and change detection methods between 1999 and 2009. The study of vegetation change conducted here are important for monitoring the variations from the past to present and exploring the possible response to the annual weather changes.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geomatics Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Ahn, Ji Young

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kim, Jeong Woo

• Remote Sensing
• Engineering--Environmental

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27001

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/1483