Land Cover Trends: Rates, Causes and Consequences of Late-Twentieth Century U.S.211 Land Conver Change

摘要

Information on the rates, driving forces, and consequences of land use and land211u001ecover change is important in studies addressing issues ranging from the health of 211u001eaquatic resources to climate change. This four-year research project between the 211u001eU.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a goal to 211u001edocument the types, geographic distributions, and rates of land cover change on a 211u001eregion-by-region basis over the past 30 years for the conterminous U.S., and to 211u001edetermine some of the key drivers and consequences of the changes. The objectives 211u001eof the study are to: (1) Develop a comprehensive methodology for using sampling 211u001eand change analysis techniques and Landsat MSS and TM data for measuring regional 211u001eland cover change across the U.S.; (2) Characterize the types, rates, and 211u001etemporal variability of change for a 30-year period; (3) Document regional 211u001edriving forces and consequences of change; (4) Prepare a national synthesis of 211u001eland cover change.