| Abstract: | As part of the US Geological Survey‘s Land Cover Trends project, land-use/land-cover change estimates between 1973 and 2000 are presented for the basin and range ecoregions, including Northern, Central, Mojave, and Sonoran. Landsat data were employed to estimate and characterize land-cover change from 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000 using a post-classification comparison. Overall, spatial change was 2.5% (17,830 km2). Change increased steadily between 1973 and 1986 but decreased slightly between 1992 and 2000. The grassland/shrubland class, frequently used for livestock grazing, constituted the majority of the study area and had a net decrease from an estimated 83.8% (587,024 km2) in 1973 to 82.6% (578,242 km2) in 2000. The most common land-use/land-cover conversions across the basin and range ecoregions were indicative of the changes associated with natural, nonmechanical disturbances (i.e., fire), and grassland/shrubland loss to development, agriculture, and mining. This comprehensive look at contemporary land-use/land-cover change provides critical insight into how the deserts of the United States have changed and can be used to inform adaptive management practices of public lands. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70037787 |
| Citation Author: | Soulard, Christopher E.; Sleeter, Benjamin M. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | Western Geographic Science Center |
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| Citation End Page: | 823 |
| Citation Issue: | 4 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Regional Environmental Change |
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| Citation Phsyical Description: | 11 p. |
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| Citation Publisher: | Springer |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Late twentieth century land-cover change in the basin and range ecoregions of the United States; 2012; Article; Journal; Regional Environmental Change; Soulard, Christopher E.; Sleeter, Benjamin M. |
| Citation Start Page: | 813 |
| Citation Volume: | 12 |
| Citation Year: | 2012 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Late twentieth century land-cover change in the basin and range ecoregions of the United States; 2012; Article; Journal; Regional Environmental Change; Soulard, Christopher E.; Sleeter, Benjamin M. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0296-3 |
| Date Other: | Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00 -0500 |
| Publisher: | Springer |
