Study of mountain ecosystem accounting in lower Himalaya range in Uttarkhand, India using geospatial technology

Abstract

The study was focused on the systematic investigation of forest cover mapping and the maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVImax) pattern. The study was to support the conservation and sustainable management of vital ecosystems by integrating remote sensing and geographic information systems techniques into mountain ecosystem accounting. The study used remote sensing technologies and satellite imagery data, which provides a valuable means to monitor and assess the status and changes in mountain ecosystems. The NDVImax cover study area declined from 44.90 % in 2015 to 43.75 % in 2019, which resulted in a 1.15-square-kilometer reduction in the area with green cover. The percentage of areas such as flood-bare land (0.46 %), scrub land (21.64 %), crop land (4.28 %), built-up areas (1.33 %), bare land (14.7 %), water (1.05 %), wet area (0.05 %), and snow/glacier and snow cover (14.12 %) were used to categorize the land use land cover (LULC) pattern. According to the initial analysis of the MODIS annual mean temperature, in 2015, the satellite sensors recorded a minimum land surface temperature (LST) of −15.3 °C and a maximum value of 33.1 °C. In the additional analysis of the MODIS annual mean temperature in 2019, the sensors recorded a minimum and a maximum LST value of −14.3 °C and 33.4 °C, respectively. The maximum annual mean temperature increased by 0.4 °C between 2015 and 2019 in terms of the annual mean LST. The study revealed the potential to inform policies and strategies for safeguarding mountain ecosystems in the face of ongoing environmental challenges and provide decision-makers with valuable insight.

Keywords

• Himalaya
• Land use land cover
• Mountain ecosystem
• Remote sensing
• Uttarkhand