Multiresolution Spatial Characterization of Land Degradation Phenomena in Southern Italy from 1985 to 1999 using NOAA-AVHRR NDVI Data

NOAA-AVHRR images (1985–1999) at full spatial resolution (1.1 km2) were exploited for studying land degradation phenomena in Southern Italy. We analyzed the spatial map of the correlation coefficient between NDVI and time by using wavelet transform. Multiscale aggregations of negative trends were searched for detecting spatially diffused phenomena of decrease in vegetation activity. The analysis mainly selects an extended area in a region considered vulnerable to desertification. Our results indicate that multiresolution AVHRR/NDVI analysis can be very useful for monitoring the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation activity in landscapes characterized by heterogeneity scales similar to those of Southern Italy.