Evaluation of the Influence of Climate Variability on Forest Ecosystem

A Remote Sensing Approach, Lake Manyara Catchment, Northern Tanzania

Abstract

In this study the response of forest ecosystem to climate variability in Lake Manyara catchment is evaluated. Variations in forest ecosystem vegetation greenness affect the carbon cycles and energy fluxes through photosynthesis and evapotranspiration. Analysis of forest ecosystem changes can provide quantitative information on the influence of climate variability on the region. The study relates forest ecosystem vegetation greenness information derived from Moderate resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to rainfall variability as influenced by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The study has detected that the trend of vegetation condition using NDVI exhibit a strong relationship with rainfall distribution. The study suggests that, remote sensing may be applied to evaluate and monitor forest ecosystem status dynamics in relation to climate change as long as there is availability of free satellite datasets.

Keywords: Forest ecosystem, NDVI, Climate Variability