Monitoring the alpine treeline shift in parts of the Indian Himalayas using remote sensing

摘要

Most of the research on alpine treeline shift has primarily been based on field data with a limited geographical extent. Due to its synoptic view and historical records for a wide area, remote sensing is an important tool to study alpine treeline and changes in the recent past. This study confirms that there is an upward shift of vegetation in the alpine zone of the Himalayas. The mean upward shift of the treeline is found to be of the order of 388 +- 80 m. Alpine life zones are areas lying between the altitudinal treeline, or its substitutes, and the altitudinal limits of life, or the snow line.