Sensitivity analysis of response of land cover change to climate change from 1992 to 2000 across Xinjiang

Heat, precipitation and humidity affect vegetation types and their distribution. However, their degree of effects is highly spatial and temporal dependent. When we study the major factors which affect vegetation cover, we need define a specific region and a time period. In order to study land cover and vegetation change in Xinjiang and to probe its driving force from 1992 to 2000, we analyzed sensitivity of land-cover to climate change using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) with multi-temporal NOAA/AVHRR NDVI images. Major factors we considered in this study were temperature, precipitation, humidity and their long-term and seasonal impacts on land cover and vegetation change. Results provided different sensative levels as following: bare lands, partialy vegetated lands, agriculture uses and water bodies. Concerning meteorological parameters impact we found in eastern Xinjiang humidity was more important than temperature and precipitation, in southern Xinjiang precipitation had more impact than temperature and humidity, and in both northern Xinjiang and Ili area temperature was more imporatant than precipitation and humidity.