Temporal and spatial change of grassland vegetation index in Tibetan Plateau

Abstract: The new generation of satellite remote sensing data of Terra/MODIS from 2002 to 2008 was applied to determine the temporal and spatial change characteristics of the EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) in the pastoral region of QinghaiTibetan Plateau. Based on field data in August 2006, the relationship between EVI and cover and height was discussed in this study. The results of this study indicated that the EVI was positively related to grassland cover and height, and those of different grassland types firstly increased, and then decreased, which were consistent with the natural changes of plant growth. The EVI showed a small difference between the different grassland types when these grassland types shared the similar characteristics, implying that different grassland types not only had the continuity and transitivity in different region, but also had the differences of different grassland types.