JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2023, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5): 165-171.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202110028

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A quantitative divided method for the vegetation vertical belt based on NDVI and DEM: a case study of Taibai Mountain on the south slope

ZHAO Ting1,2(), BAI Hongying2, DENG Chenhui3, TA Zhijie1   

  1. 1. School of Tourism, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an 710128,China
    2. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127,China
    3. School of Geography and Environment, Xianyang Normal University, Xianyang 712000,China
  • Received:2021-10-13 Revised:2022-04-20 Online:2023-09-30 Published:2023-10-10

Abstract:

【Objective】 Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of mapping vegetation distribution along the southern slope of the Taibai Mountains using remote sensing and geographic information technology.【Method】We quantified the boundary of vertical vegetation zoning by half-peak width calculation in a mountains digital elevation medel-normalized difference regetation index (DEM-NDVI) scatter map based on different NDVI between summer and autumn in the Taibai Mountains of Qinling.【Result】The scatter map constructed by NDVI differences in summer and autumn and DEM well reflected well the vertical distribution pattern of mountain vegetation. The south slope of Taibai Mountain Reserve could be divided into six vertical vegetation zones: oak forest distributed in 1 509-1 919 m, pine-oak mixed forest distributed in 1 919-2 331 m, birch forest distributed in 2 115-2 585 m, Abies forest distributed in 2 516-3 150 m, Larix chinensis forest distributed in 3 109-3 551 m, and alpine scrub meadow distributed above 3 551 m to the peak. Compared with vegetation classification results interpreted from remote sensing images, the DEM-NDVI scatter map was basically consistent with the distribution pattern of vegetation vertical belt, but the DEM-NDVI scatter map could reflect the average distribution of vegetation and more accurately expressed the variation characteristics of vegetation vertical zoning with altitudes.【Conclusion】The scatter map based on different NDVI between summer and autumn at different altitudes can quickly and accurately divide the vertical zone of mountain vegetation.

Key words: vegetation vertical belt, digital elevation model(DEM), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Taibai Mountain

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