Observing vegetation dynamics at medium spatial scale: Lessons from Africa and Asia

In this paper, we drew on experience from current Earth Observation (EO) research in Africa and Asia based on the 250m MODIS vegetation index time series covering large spatial extents. In the first example in the southern Africa, we derived a key set of phenometrics (overall greenness, peak and timing of annual greenness) and analyzed trends in these parameters. In the second example in the eastern Africa, we mapped human-induced vegetation productivity decline. The climate-induced changes in vegetation were largely disentangled from the anthropogenic-driven changes by using rainfall data from radar observations. In the last example, we revealed vegetation dynamic patterns across Central Asia by analyzing trends in overall greenness. The paper concluded on the possibilities and constraints of the available data and methods used to analyze vegetation dynamics at medium spatial resolution in relation to evolving issues in Africa and Asia.