Spatio-Temporal Changes in America’s Cropland over 2000-2010
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LONG YuQiao, WU WenBin, HU Qiong, CHEN Di, XIANG MingTao, LU Miao, YU QiangYi |
Scientia Agricultura Sinica
2018,51(6
):1134
-1143. DOI:10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2018.06.012
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【Objective】The analysis of the spatial and temporal pattern of cropland is one of the hot issues of land surface research. As the world's most important grain production area, a spatio-temporal pattern analysis of America provides regional insight for cropland sustainable development with potential global applications.【Method】GlobeLand30—Cropland, mathematical statistics and GIS-based spatial analysis methods were adopted to explore the spatial-temporal characteristics of cropland area and conversion in America from 2000 to 2010, with particular emphasis on the Amazon region.【Result】This analysis shows that the total cropland area increased by 4.19% from 2000 to 2010 with 2 128.14×104 hm2, mainly converted from forest and grassland. The main conversion from cropland was to artificial surfaces. The major cropland expansion happened in Brazil with a rate of 9.51%, followed by Argentina. Ecuador showed the greatest decrease with 101.14×104 hm2. From 2000 to 2010, the multiple cropping index increased across the entire region by 2.42%, with Paraguay and Puerto Rico exhibiting the most significant changes. The United States of America had the most cropland area, however growth rate was only 0.08% and the multiple cropping index decreased by 0.89%. Brazil had the second highest amount of cropland area and a high rate of increase (9.51%), with most of the new cropland converted from forest and grassland. As the most important agricultural district and ecoregion in America, the Amazon experienced a cropland increase of 8.41%, with the direct conversions mostly occurring in the southwest of Brazil and Ecuador.【Conclusion】The total amount of cropland in America increased during 2000-2010, but there were large differences between countries. The direct conversions to cropland were mainly from woodlands, grasslands and shrubland in Brazil and Argentina. Loss of cropland was primarily caused by conversion to artificial land. Additionally, the Amazon experienced a steady increase in both the area of cropland and the multiple cropping index. While these increases bolster the regional and global grain production, the ecological environmental effects require more consideration.
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