A topography-based model of the vegetation cover of the Lanzhinskie Mountains
Alexander M. OMELKO & Anna N. YAKOVLEVA
Institute of Biology and Soil Science FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia
By means of the GAM technique it is possible to create detailed maps of the
potential vegetation for regions that are difficult to access. This is particularly
important for wide mountain areas of Northeast Asia, where such maps have never
been created. High-resolution DEMs permit increased prediction accuracy and
modeling of complex vegetation patterns. Most vegetation types in the area are
controlled mainly by the moisture regime and by regimes of sediment transport and
accumulation. The relatively small amounts of rainfall in the continental climate are
distributed spatially by relief elements. This creates a wide range of soil moisture
regimes: from very dry, with a prolonged period of moisture deficit, to wet, without
moisture deficit during the growing season at all. Therefore, moisture appears to
be a critical resource in this climatic region, and it is a main differentiating factor
for the vegetation. The map of potential vegetation, obtained satisfactorily, reflects
altitudinal zonation and inter-zonal patterns of vegetation distribution. The area
occupied by some vegetation communities is overestimated, however, due mainly
to insufficient DEM resolution.
© 2012 Organizing Committee
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