Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024

To elucidate the mechanisms of vegetation dynamics, this study primarily investigates the spatiotemporal variations in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) on the Loess Plateau and its responses to topography. Leveraging the high-resolution and temporal continuity of Landsat imagery, this study utilize...

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Main Authors: Fan Fu, Mingwei Zhao, Cancan Yang, Xiaoli Huang, Yan Xu, Yuan Liu, Shaojie Jia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Geomatics, Natural Hazards & Risk
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19475705.2025.2543455
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author Fan Fu
Mingwei Zhao
Cancan Yang
Xiaoli Huang
Yan Xu
Yuan Liu
Shaojie Jia
author_facet Fan Fu
Mingwei Zhao
Cancan Yang
Xiaoli Huang
Yan Xu
Yuan Liu
Shaojie Jia
author_sort Fan Fu
collection DOAJ
description To elucidate the mechanisms of vegetation dynamics, this study primarily investigates the spatiotemporal variations in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) on the Loess Plateau and its responses to topography. Leveraging the high-resolution and temporal continuity of Landsat imagery, this study utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to acquire imagery from 1995 to 2024. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset was synthesized, and FVC was retrieved using the pixel dichotomy model. Methods including linear regression, Sen + MK analysis, coefficient of variation (CV), Hurst exponent, and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) were employed to examine long-term FVC dynamics and terrain-driven influences. Results show a significant upward FVC trend (0.449%/a, p < 0.01), with 69.74% of the area showing vegetation improvement (p < 0.05) and 54.32% exhibiting large fluctuations. Future predictions indicate spatial heterogeneity, with 52.99% of the area projected to improve. Under categorized conditions, FVC initially decreases and then increases with elevation and topographic position index, while it exhibits a fluctuating upward trend with increasing slope, terrain roughness, and topographic complexity index. FVC responses to terrain factors are significant (p < 0.05), except for aspect (p > 0.05). These findings provide valuable insights for ecological restoration policies by elucidating the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation and the driving mechanisms of topography.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-3bd69c9b25bf4e6aa05d5c472965f53c2025-08-20T03:41:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGeomatics, Natural Hazards & Risk1947-57051947-57132025-12-0116110.1080/19475705.2025.2543455Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024Fan Fu0Mingwei Zhao1Cancan Yang2Xiaoli Huang3Yan Xu4Yuan Liu5Shaojie Jia6School of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaSchool of Geographic Information and Tourism, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, ChinaTo elucidate the mechanisms of vegetation dynamics, this study primarily investigates the spatiotemporal variations in fractional vegetation cover (FVC) on the Loess Plateau and its responses to topography. Leveraging the high-resolution and temporal continuity of Landsat imagery, this study utilized the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to acquire imagery from 1995 to 2024. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset was synthesized, and FVC was retrieved using the pixel dichotomy model. Methods including linear regression, Sen + MK analysis, coefficient of variation (CV), Hurst exponent, and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) were employed to examine long-term FVC dynamics and terrain-driven influences. Results show a significant upward FVC trend (0.449%/a, p < 0.01), with 69.74% of the area showing vegetation improvement (p < 0.05) and 54.32% exhibiting large fluctuations. Future predictions indicate spatial heterogeneity, with 52.99% of the area projected to improve. Under categorized conditions, FVC initially decreases and then increases with elevation and topographic position index, while it exhibits a fluctuating upward trend with increasing slope, terrain roughness, and topographic complexity index. FVC responses to terrain factors are significant (p < 0.05), except for aspect (p > 0.05). These findings provide valuable insights for ecological restoration policies by elucidating the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation and the driving mechanisms of topography.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19475705.2025.2543455Loess Plateaufractional vegetation coverspatiotemporal analysisspatial heterogeneityterrain response
spellingShingle Fan Fu
Mingwei Zhao
Cancan Yang
Xiaoli Huang
Yan Xu
Yuan Liu
Shaojie Jia
Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
Geomatics, Natural Hazards & Risk
Loess Plateau
fractional vegetation cover
spatiotemporal analysis
spatial heterogeneity
terrain response
title Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
title_full Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
title_fullStr Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
title_full_unstemmed Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
title_short Spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the Loess Plateau of China from 1995 to 2024
title_sort spatiotemporal variations of fractional vegetation cover and its response to topography on the loess plateau of china from 1995 to 2024
topic Loess Plateau
fractional vegetation cover
spatiotemporal analysis
spatial heterogeneity
terrain response
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19475705.2025.2543455
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