Abstract
[Truncated] Temperature and water are two environmental factors that greatly affect vegetation dynamics. Vegetation response to variations in these factors is very complex, particularly due to the combination of these factors and modulation by topographic gradient. Moreover, the response is affected by vegetation adaptation to its local environment. Temperate deciduous broadleaf forests are an ideal venue to study the response patterns due to their conspicuous seasonality driven by climates. This thesis examined response signatures of deciduous broadleaf forests dominated by oak (Quercus spp.) in South Korea (referred to as Korea), Bosnia, West Virginia (USA) and patches of Nothofagus gunnii in Tasmania (Australia) on variations in temperature and precipitation as viewed by remotely sensed vegetation indices. The overall aim of the thesis is to obtain response signatures of vegetation indices to surface temperature with variations in altitudinal gradients and precipitation.
In the first stage, time series of enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) with land surface temperature (LST) were analysed with precipitation patterns in Sancheong catchment, Korea, with varying elevation, using 1000 m pixels. This stage is aimed at obtaining the response patterns of vegetation indices to surface temperature with temporal variations in precipitation with modulation of topographic gradient. In the second stage, the analysis was extended to Bosnia, West Virginia, and Tasmania using EVI only, with 250 m pixels. This stage is aimed at obtaining the response signatures of vegetation index to surface temperature with spatial variations in precipitation patterns and vegetation composition. Analysis on precipitation was undertaken on cumulative precipitation prior to peak EVI to examine the effect of summer water availability and inter seasonal storage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Supervisors/Advisors |
|
| Publication status | Unpublished - Feb 2015 |
Access to Document
- Download PDF
This work is protected by Copyright. You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own non-commercial research or study. Any other use requires permission from the copyright owner. The Copyright Act requires you to attribute any copyright works you quote or paraphrase.