Spatial and temporal analysis of land cover change and landscape pattern in Nanjing city during its rapid urbanization

This study aims at revealing how land use and land cover changed in Nanjing city from 1979 to 2005. Combining the integrated technology of ecological quantity analytical method with GIS technology, based on the MSS images in 1979, TM images in 1988 and ETM+ images in 2005, the changes of land use/cover and landscape pattern were analyzed in study area from 1979 to 2005.The results showed that the areas of urban increased obviously, areas of grassland, forest decreased first then increased, and that of agriculture and water increased first then decreased, and bareland decreased continually. The analysis of landscape index showed that due to the disturbance of human activities, landscape fragmentation increased gradually with urbanization process of the study area.