Land-cover Modeling at USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Land-use change and the resultant changes in land cover impact a wide variety of ecological processes. Projected land-cover data produced by EROS have been used for a wide variety of applications, including those listed in the left column. The following provides a partial list of published applications for modeled land-use and land-cover data.
Biochemical Cycling and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
Land use and land cover are important for determining the magnitude and geographic distribution of greenhouse gas exchanges between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. However, a lack of consistent, multiple-date land-cover data has made it difficult to examine temporal patterns of land-cover change and the resultant changes in greenhouse gas fluxes. Consistent, annual, scenario-based land-cover maps allow biogeochemical modelers to quantify potential future greenhouse gas fluxes resulting from land-cover change.
- (2017) Simulating the effects of management practices on cropland soil organic carbon changes in the Temperate Prairies Ecoregion of the United States from 1980 to 2012
- (2015) Large increase in dissolved inorganic carbon flux from the Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico due to climatic and anthropogenic changes over the 21st century
- (2015) Ecosystem carbon stocks and sequestration potential of federal lands across the conterminous United States
- (2015) Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies
- (2015) Quantifying climate change mitigation potential in the United States Great Plains wetlands for three greenhouse gas emission scenarios
- (2014) Scale criticality in estimating ecosystem carbon dynamics
- (2013) Land use and carbon dynamics in the southeastern United States from 1992 to 2050
- (2013) Projecting the land cover change and its environmental impacts in the Cedar River Basin in the Midwestern United States
Biodiversity
Land-use and land-cover change has a direct impact on habitat and conservation planning issues. By providing future scenarios of land-use and land-cover change, conservation planners can answer the basic questions of how much habitat is available, what are the potential future geographic distributions, and where should efforts be made to protect or restore habitat?
- (2018) Assessing threats of non-native species to native freshwater biodiversity: Conservation priorities for the United States
- (2017) How will predicted land‐use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual‐based model
- (2017) Using nested connectivity models to resolve management conflicts of isolated water networks in the Sonoran Desert
- (2015) Combined impacts of global changes on biodiversity across the USA
- (2015) Threats of future climate change and land use to vulnerable tree species native to Southern California
- (2014) Land Use Compounds Habitat Losses under Projected Climate Change in a Threatened California Ecosystem
- (2014) The Relative Impacts of Climate and Land-Use Change on Conterminous United States Bird Species from 2001 to 2075
Hydrology
Land cover affects hydrologic processes by altering water infiltration into the soil, affecting energy budgets and evaporation, and changing water routing and sediment flow. Linking future land-cover models with hydrologic modeling frameworks allows researchers to determine potential future hydrologic regimes under multiple potential land-cover scenarios. Understanding potential future hydrologic processes enables planned management of water resources and facilitates analysis of future vulnerabilities associated with hydrologic change, including flood risk and water-quality issues.
- (2017) Streamflow response to potential land use and climate changes in the James River watershed, Upper Midwest United States
- (2017) Hydrologic response to future land use change in the Upper Mississippi River Basin by the end of 21st century
- (2017) Modeling the effects of future land use change on water quality under multiple scenarios: A case study of low-input agriculture with hay/pasture production
- (2014) Increasing Mississippi river discharge throughout the 21st century influenced by changes in climate, land use, and atmospheric CO2
- (2011) Hydrologic Effects of Urbanization and Climate Change on the Flint River Basin, Georgia
Other Applications
- (2018) Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA
- (2018) Future Lyme Disease Risk in the Southeastern United States Based on Projected Land Cover
- (2018) Spatiotemporal changes in conterminous US wildfire exposure from 1940 to 2010
- (2015) Potential future land use threats to California’s protected areas
- (2015) Integrated climate and land use change scenarios for California rangeland ecosystem services: wildlife habitat, soil carbon, and water supply
- (2014) Mapping Large-Area Landscape Suitability for Honey Bees to Assess the Influence of Land-Use Change on Sustainability of National Pollination Services
- (2012) Projected surface radiative forcing due to 2000–2050 land-cover land-use albedo change over the eastern United States
Land-use change and the resultant changes in land cover impact a wide variety of ecological processes. Projected land-cover data produced by EROS have been used for a wide variety of applications, including those listed in the left column. The following provides a partial list of published applications for modeled land-use and land-cover data.
Biochemical Cycling and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
Land use and land cover are important for determining the magnitude and geographic distribution of greenhouse gas exchanges between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. However, a lack of consistent, multiple-date land-cover data has made it difficult to examine temporal patterns of land-cover change and the resultant changes in greenhouse gas fluxes. Consistent, annual, scenario-based land-cover maps allow biogeochemical modelers to quantify potential future greenhouse gas fluxes resulting from land-cover change.
- (2017) Simulating the effects of management practices on cropland soil organic carbon changes in the Temperate Prairies Ecoregion of the United States from 1980 to 2012
- (2015) Large increase in dissolved inorganic carbon flux from the Mississippi River to Gulf of Mexico due to climatic and anthropogenic changes over the 21st century
- (2015) Ecosystem carbon stocks and sequestration potential of federal lands across the conterminous United States
- (2015) Projection of corn production and stover-harvesting impacts on soil organic carbon dynamics in the U.S. Temperate Prairies
- (2015) Quantifying climate change mitigation potential in the United States Great Plains wetlands for three greenhouse gas emission scenarios
- (2014) Scale criticality in estimating ecosystem carbon dynamics
- (2013) Land use and carbon dynamics in the southeastern United States from 1992 to 2050
- (2013) Projecting the land cover change and its environmental impacts in the Cedar River Basin in the Midwestern United States
Biodiversity
Land-use and land-cover change has a direct impact on habitat and conservation planning issues. By providing future scenarios of land-use and land-cover change, conservation planners can answer the basic questions of how much habitat is available, what are the potential future geographic distributions, and where should efforts be made to protect or restore habitat?
- (2018) Assessing threats of non-native species to native freshwater biodiversity: Conservation priorities for the United States
- (2017) How will predicted land‐use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual‐based model
- (2017) Using nested connectivity models to resolve management conflicts of isolated water networks in the Sonoran Desert
- (2015) Combined impacts of global changes on biodiversity across the USA
- (2015) Threats of future climate change and land use to vulnerable tree species native to Southern California
- (2014) Land Use Compounds Habitat Losses under Projected Climate Change in a Threatened California Ecosystem
- (2014) The Relative Impacts of Climate and Land-Use Change on Conterminous United States Bird Species from 2001 to 2075
Hydrology
Land cover affects hydrologic processes by altering water infiltration into the soil, affecting energy budgets and evaporation, and changing water routing and sediment flow. Linking future land-cover models with hydrologic modeling frameworks allows researchers to determine potential future hydrologic regimes under multiple potential land-cover scenarios. Understanding potential future hydrologic processes enables planned management of water resources and facilitates analysis of future vulnerabilities associated with hydrologic change, including flood risk and water-quality issues.
- (2017) Streamflow response to potential land use and climate changes in the James River watershed, Upper Midwest United States
- (2017) Hydrologic response to future land use change in the Upper Mississippi River Basin by the end of 21st century
- (2017) Modeling the effects of future land use change on water quality under multiple scenarios: A case study of low-input agriculture with hay/pasture production
- (2014) Increasing Mississippi river discharge throughout the 21st century influenced by changes in climate, land use, and atmospheric CO2
- (2011) Hydrologic Effects of Urbanization and Climate Change on the Flint River Basin, Georgia
Other Applications
- (2018) Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA
- (2018) Future Lyme Disease Risk in the Southeastern United States Based on Projected Land Cover
- (2018) Spatiotemporal changes in conterminous US wildfire exposure from 1940 to 2010
- (2015) Potential future land use threats to California’s protected areas
- (2015) Integrated climate and land use change scenarios for California rangeland ecosystem services: wildlife habitat, soil carbon, and water supply
- (2014) Mapping Large-Area Landscape Suitability for Honey Bees to Assess the Influence of Land-Use Change on Sustainability of National Pollination Services
- (2012) Projected surface radiative forcing due to 2000–2050 land-cover land-use albedo change over the eastern United States