Department of Geography

Land change science

Our research in this sub-theme seeks to understand the drivers of global changes in land use and cover and to analyze their impact on ecosystems as well as the goods and services they provide to human societies, especially water, food and biodiversity. The research involves integrating Earth Observation and data on physical and socio-economic processes and aims to inform policy for sustainable land management. Specific foci include the LUCC processes of the water-food-energy nexus and monsoonal dynamics in montane environments.

Key staff: Pedram Rowhani, Alex Antonarakis, Mick Frogley, Yi Wang

luccDeforestation in Australia. The causes and impacts of changes like these differ around the world.

Selected Publications

Antonarakis, A.S., Munger, J.W. and Moorcroft, P.R. (2014). Imaging spectroscopy- and lidar- derived estimates of canopy composition and structure to improve predictions of forest carbon fluxes and ecosystem dynamics. Geophysical Research Letters 41, 2535–2542.

Frogley, M.R., Chepstow-Lusty, A.C. and Leng, M.J. (2010). High and dry in the Andes. Planet Earth, Spring 2010 issue, 28–29.

Chepstow-Lusty, A.J., Frogley, M.R., Bauer, B.S., Leng, M.J., Boessenkool, K.P., Carcaillet, C., Ali, A.A. and Gioda, A. (2009). Putting the rise of the Inca Empire within a climatic and land management context. Climate of the Past 5, 375–388.


Banner image: landscapes.org. Deforestation image: earthspacecircle