Seasonality in the uplands of the Mekong river basin, mainland Southeast
Asia
Nicholas P. Kohler (2003).
Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting 2003.
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This poster describes research on environmental seasonality,
land use, and population density in the uplands of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
and Vietnam. Monthly variations in vegetation greenness and land surface temperature
are measured using AVHRR and MODIS satellite data. Accompanying information
on population density, land cover, and management status is used to examine
social, environmental, and political factors which influence seasonality.
The monsoon climate of mainland Southeast Asia brings a marked
wet/dry annual cycle to the natural landscapes and agricultural economies of
the lower Mekong River. In this region mountain areas play a crucial hydrologic
and environmental role. Extensive upland conservation zones shelter significant
cultural and natural resources, but many areas in the mountains are subject
to annual landscape degradation and soil erosion.
Understanding how land use and land management interacts with seasonal vegetation
dynamics in the uplands will aid in environmental planning, particularly conservation
management and agricultural development. This information will also help assess
the significance of future land cover changes and landscape responses to climate
variation.
Keywords: land use/land cover, population, seasonality
Note:-and-nbsp; You can print a readable copy of this poster on Letter- or A4-size paper using Adobe Acrobat Reader.-and-nbsp; Download the .pdf file, and check "Fit to page" when printing.
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