Spatial patterns of vegetation cover in hummock grasslands as discriminated using NOAA-AVHRR data

Abstract

Fire has been recognised as an important management tool for maintaining the ecological diversity of the hummock grasslands. Because of the large area covered by the hummock grasslands, the techniques available for monitoring vegetation change to provide information for the management of these ecosystems are limited. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAAAVHRR) imagery was found to be suitable for monitoring vegetation change in hummock grassland communities of central Australia. The main fuel for fire in the hummock grasslands is spinifex. The consistent relationship between total vegetation cover, spinifex cover and time since fire, and the consistent relationship between total vegetation cover and spectral reflectance allows spatial variation in spinifex cover, and hence fuel load to be discriminated Show more