Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada

Understanding the spatial extent and temporal variability of ecosystem processes is essential for contextualizing land use and land cover change due to disturbance. In this study, we apply an advanced time series modelling method to assess and map ecosystem change and characterize ecosystem cover in...

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Main Authors: Ilythia D. Morley, Kevin Hanna, Chris T. Darimont, Mathieu L. Bourbonnais
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Ecological Informatics
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125001645
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author Ilythia D. Morley
Kevin Hanna
Chris T. Darimont
Mathieu L. Bourbonnais
Ilythia D. Morley
author_facet Ilythia D. Morley
Kevin Hanna
Chris T. Darimont
Mathieu L. Bourbonnais
Ilythia D. Morley
author_sort Ilythia D. Morley
collection DOAJ
description Understanding the spatial extent and temporal variability of ecosystem processes is essential for contextualizing land use and land cover change due to disturbance. In this study, we apply an advanced time series modelling method to assess and map ecosystem change and characterize ecosystem cover in west-central British Columbia, Canada. We couple Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) zone data with metrics derived from Landsat imagery to model how biogeoclimatic ecosystem cover, interpreted as an indicator of shifting vegetation seasonality, varies over a broad spatiotemporal scale. To do so, we apply the Time-Weighted Dynamic Time Warping (TWDTW) time series modelling approach by relating the spectral characteristics of Landsat data and derived indices from 1997 to 2019. Results highlight important transitions between biogeoclimatic ecosystem classes, with a transition of the interior Douglas-fir Dry to the montane-spruce Dry and the Sub-Boreal Pine to the Spruce zone Dry zones in response to large wildfires in 2003 and 2009. The assessment of ecosystem change across broad spatial and temporal scales is important for assessing the cumulative impacts of changes across highly variable landscapes on essential landscape services.
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spelling doaj-art-7f229c8137de4b8da33ad0b26ff85e6f2025-08-20T02:55:19ZengElsevierEcological Informatics1574-95412025-09-018810315510.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103155Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, CanadaIlythia D. Morley0Kevin Hanna1Chris T. Darimont2Mathieu L. Bourbonnais3Ilythia D. Morley4Earth observation & Spatial Ecology Laboratory, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, Canada; Corresponding author.Centre for Environmental Assessment Research, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, CanadaApplied Conservation Science Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3R4, CanadaEarth observation & Spatial Ecology Laboratory, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, CanadaEarth observation & Spatial Ecology Laboratory, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia V1V 1V7, CanadaUnderstanding the spatial extent and temporal variability of ecosystem processes is essential for contextualizing land use and land cover change due to disturbance. In this study, we apply an advanced time series modelling method to assess and map ecosystem change and characterize ecosystem cover in west-central British Columbia, Canada. We couple Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) zone data with metrics derived from Landsat imagery to model how biogeoclimatic ecosystem cover, interpreted as an indicator of shifting vegetation seasonality, varies over a broad spatiotemporal scale. To do so, we apply the Time-Weighted Dynamic Time Warping (TWDTW) time series modelling approach by relating the spectral characteristics of Landsat data and derived indices from 1997 to 2019. Results highlight important transitions between biogeoclimatic ecosystem classes, with a transition of the interior Douglas-fir Dry to the montane-spruce Dry and the Sub-Boreal Pine to the Spruce zone Dry zones in response to large wildfires in 2003 and 2009. The assessment of ecosystem change across broad spatial and temporal scales is important for assessing the cumulative impacts of changes across highly variable landscapes on essential landscape services.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125001645Remote sensingEcosystem mappingTime-weighted dynamic time warping
spellingShingle Ilythia D. Morley
Kevin Hanna
Chris T. Darimont
Mathieu L. Bourbonnais
Ilythia D. Morley
Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
Ecological Informatics
Remote sensing
Ecosystem mapping
Time-weighted dynamic time warping
title Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
title_full Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
title_fullStr Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
title_full_unstemmed Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
title_short Time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC) zones between 1997 and 2019 in West-Central British Columbia, Canada
title_sort time series modelling spatiotemporal changes in biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification bec zones between 1997 and 2019 in west central british columbia canada
topic Remote sensing
Ecosystem mapping
Time-weighted dynamic time warping
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954125001645
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