The application of satellite-based model and bi-stable ecosystem balance concept to monitor desertification in arid lands, a case study of Sinai Peninsula

Desertification is responsible for depleting natural resources in arid lands, which is globally happening in an alarming rate. It is considered as the major environmental threat that affects about 40% of the world dry lands, which are populated by approximately one billion humans. In this paper the main objective is to discuss the recent and past research in monitoring and assessing desertification and land degradation using remote sensing technology and data. Recently, the Bi-stable ecosystem balance becomes a promising framework theory to detect the spatial extent of prime land degradation in arid and semi-arid environments; it is also a potential methodology to recognize the difference between the natural variability and instantaneous/ non-instantaneous desertification symptoms in dry lands. The satellite-based models are the future tools for monitoring very precisely desertification development, MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images are becoming the best datasets for building regional desertification monitoring algorithms because of its temporal scales (8-16 days). The MODIS Based Disturbance Index (MBDI) algorithm provide accurate information at six different study sites in Sinai Peninsula and showed the seasonal and yearly changes. This application can be used for monitoring decades of desertification development in North Africa, South Europe, and the Middle East, and can be linked to several fields such as agriculture sustainability, environmental conservations, rural development, and economics.

Jaar van publicatie:2017

Toegankelijkheid:Closed