Temporal analysis of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) parameters to detect changes in the Iberian land cover between 1981 and 2001

TLDR

In past decades, the Iberian Peninsula has experienced vegetation changes such as desertification and reforestation, and NDVI and LST derived from AVHRR data are well suited to assess these changes. The study applies the yearly land‑cover dynamics (YLCD) methodology to analyze vegetation behavior using yearly NDVI and LST data. YLCD integrates multitemporal NDVI and LST measurements to quantify land‑cover dynamics annually. Trend analysis of YLCD parameters over 1981–2001 identifies regions with the most pronounced vegetation changes, confirming earlier findings.

Abstract

In past decades, the Iberian Peninsula has been shown to have suffered vegetation changes such as desertification and reforestation. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) parameters, estimated from data acquired by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite series, are particularly adapted to assess these changes. This work presents an application of the yearly land-cover dynamics (YLCD) methodology to analyse the behaviour of the vegetation, which consists of a combined multitemporal study of the NDVI and LST parameters on a yearly basis. Throughout the 1981–2001 period, trend analysis of the YLCD parameters emphasizes the areas that have endured the greatest changes in their vegetation. This result is corroborated by results from previous studies.