Mapping Shrub Encroachment from 1937-2003 in the Jornada Basin of Southern New Mexico

in

Shrub encroachment into arid and semi-arid grass-dominated landscapes has been noted in many parts of the
Southwestern United States. Although it is well known that shrubs have increased over time, we have little
quantitative information related to the rate of vegetation change over a particular time period. Our objective was to
use aerial photos to measure the rate of shrub advance which is influenced by outside factors such as persistent
drought periods and, in turn, has a direct influence on changes in the water, carbon, and energy cycles of these arid
lands.

Document Type: 
Scientific Paper

Classification of Arid Rnagelands using an Object-Oriented and Multi-Scale approach with QuickBird Imagery

in

The classification of arid rangelands often presents unique problems due to the high reflectance of the soil background, a mixture of green and senescent grasses, and the prevalence of shrubs in grasslands, which can make it difficult to determine the proportion of grass cover from high resolution imagery. On the Jornada Experimental Range (JER), operated by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, ongoing research is aimed at determining the relationship between ground-based observations and remotely sensed data.

Document Type: 
Scientific Paper