Version 1
: Received: 8 October 2020 / Approved: 9 October 2020 / Online: 9 October 2020 (14:43:29 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 14 December 2020 / Approved: 15 December 2020 / Online: 15 December 2020 (12:59:50 CET)
Rousta, I.; Olafsson, H.; Zhang, H.; Moniruzzaman, M.; Baranowski, P.; Krzyszczak, J. Anthropogenic Factors Affecting the Vegetation Dynamics in the Arid Middle East. Environmental and Climate Technologies 2022, 26, 774–805, doi:10.2478/rtuect-2022-0060.
Rousta, I.; Olafsson, H.; Zhang, H.; Moniruzzaman, M.; Baranowski, P.; Krzyszczak, J. Anthropogenic Factors Affecting the Vegetation Dynamics in the Arid Middle East. Environmental and Climate Technologies 2022, 26, 774–805, doi:10.2478/rtuect-2022-0060.
Rousta, I.; Olafsson, H.; Zhang, H.; Moniruzzaman, M.; Baranowski, P.; Krzyszczak, J. Anthropogenic Factors Affecting the Vegetation Dynamics in the Arid Middle East. Environmental and Climate Technologies 2022, 26, 774–805, doi:10.2478/rtuect-2022-0060.
Rousta, I.; Olafsson, H.; Zhang, H.; Moniruzzaman, M.; Baranowski, P.; Krzyszczak, J. Anthropogenic Factors Affecting the Vegetation Dynamics in the Arid Middle East. Environmental and Climate Technologies 2022, 26, 774–805, doi:10.2478/rtuect-2022-0060.
Abstract
The spatiotemporal variability of vegetation in the Middle East was investigated for the period 2001–2019 using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 16-day/500 m composites of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI; MOD13A1). The results reveal a strong increase in the NDVI coverage in the Middle East during the study period (R = 0.75, p-value = 0.05). In Egypt, the annual coverage exhibits the strongest positive trend (R = 0.99, p-value = 0.05). In Turkey, both the vegetation coverage and density increased from 2001 to 2019, which can be attributed to the construction of some of the biggest dams in the Middle East, such as the Atatürk and Ilisu dams. Significant increases in the annual coverage and maximum and average NDVI in Saudi Arabia are due to farming in the northern part of the country for which groundwater and desalinated seawater are used. The results of this study suggest that the main factors affecting the vegetation coverage in the Middle East are governmental policies. These policies can have a positive effect on the vegetation coverage in some countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, and Turkey.
Keywords
Middle East; Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; time series analysis; governmental policy
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Atmospheric Science and Meteorology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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