{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,30]],"date-time":"2025-11-30T09:09:16Z","timestamp":1764493756865,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,1,17]],"date-time":"2013-01-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1358380800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Spatially-explicit depictions of plant productivity over large areas are critical to monitoring landscapes in highly heterogeneous arid ecosystems. Applying radiometric change detection techniques we sought to determine whether: (1) differences between  pre- and post-growing season spectral vegetation index values effectively identify areas of significant change in vegetation; and (2) areas of significant change coincide with altered ecological states. We differenced NDVI values, standardized difference values to Z-scores to identify areas of significant increase and decrease in NDVI, and examined the ecological states associated with these areas. The vegetation index differencing method and translation of growing season NDVI to Z-scores permit examination of change over large areas and can be applied by non-experts. This method identified areas with potential for vegetation\/ecological state transition and serves to guide field reconnaissance efforts that may ultimately inform land management decisions for millions of acres of federal lands.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs5010327","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,1,17]],"date-time":"2013-01-17T11:25:50Z","timestamp":1358421950000},"page":"327-341","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Vegetation Index Differencing for Broad-Scale Assessment of Productivity Under Prolonged Drought and Sequential High Rainfall Conditions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Dawn","family":"Browning","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Jornada Experimental Range, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, P.O. Box 30003 MSC3JER, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA"}]},{"given":"Caitriana","family":"Steele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003 MSC3JER, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,1,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1642","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1186591","article-title":"Dry times ahead","volume":"328","author":"Overpeck","year":"2010","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2693","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0477(1998)079<2693:YODVIT>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"2000 years of drought variability in the central United States","volume":"79","author":"Woodhouse","year":"1998","journal-title":"Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc"},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Joyce, L.A. (1989). An Analysis of the Range Forage Situation in the United States: 1989\u20132040, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Range and Forest Experiment Station. General Technical Report RM-180."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2111\/1551-5028(2005)58<1:SMTARH>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"State-and-transition models, thresholds, and rangeland health: A synthesis of ecological concepts and perspectives","volume":"58","author":"Briske","year":"2005","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.2307\/4003894","article-title":"Development and use of state-and-transition models for rangelands","volume":"56","author":"Bestelmeyer","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Range Manage"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2111\/08-146","article-title":"State-and-transition models for heterogeneous landscapes: A strategy for development and application","volume":"62","author":"Bestelmeyer","year":"2009","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"359","DOI":"10.2111\/07-051.1","article-title":"Recommendations for development of resilience-based state-and-transition models","volume":"61","author":"Briske","year":"2008","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"213","DOI":"10.2111\/REM-D-11-00047.1","article-title":"Spatially explicit representation of state-and-transition models","volume":"65","author":"Steele","year":"2012","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"1303","article-title":"Detecting forest canopy change due to insect activity using Landsat MSS","volume":"49","author":"Nelson","year":"1983","journal-title":"Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sensing"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2961","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvman.2011.07.009","article-title":"Comparing the utility of image algebra operations for characterizing landscape changes: The case of the Mediterranean coast","volume":"92","author":"Alphan","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Environ. Manage"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.1080\/01431168908903939","article-title":"Review article: Digital change detection techniques using remotely-sensed data","volume":"10","author":"Singh","year":"1989","journal-title":"Int. J. Remote Sens"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1011","DOI":"10.1126\/science.320.5879.1011a","article-title":"Free access to Landsat imagery","volume":"320","author":"Woodcock","year":"2008","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1016\/0034-4257(79)90013-0","article-title":"Red and photographic infrared linear combinations for monitoring vegetation","volume":"8","author":"Tucker","year":"1979","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Brown, D.E. (1994). Biotic Communities: Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico, University of Utah Press."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"1025","article-title":"Image-based atmospheric corrections--revisited and improved","volume":"62","author":"Chavez","year":"1996","journal-title":"Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sensing"},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"71","article-title":"Drought monitoring with NDVI-based standardized vegetation index","volume":"68","author":"Peters","year":"2002","journal-title":"Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sensing"},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"National Resources Conservation Service (2006). Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin, National Resource Conservation Service, USDA. USDA Arigcultural Handbook 296."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"USDA-NRCS (2005). Ecological Site Description: Clay Loam Upland (R041XA109AZ), National Resource Conservation Service, USDA."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Briske, D.D. (2011). Conservation Benefits of Rangeland Practices\u2014Assessment, Recommendations, and Knowledge Gaps, US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"USDA-NRCS (2005). Ecological Site Description: Loamy Bottom (RO41XA114AZ), National Resource Conservation Service, USDA."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1007\/s10980-006-9038-6","article-title":"Assessing landscape health by scaling with remote sensing: When is it not enough?","volume":"22","author":"Ludwig","year":"2007","journal-title":"Landscape Ecol"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.2111\/1551-5028(2007)60[209:AMFLVA]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"A method for landscape-scale vegetation assessment: Application to great basin rangeland ecosystems","volume":"60","author":"Forbis","year":"2007","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2009.08.011","article-title":"Web-enabled Landsat Data (WELD): Landsat ETM plus composited mosaics of the conterminous United States","volume":"114","author":"Roy","year":"2010","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1565","DOI":"10.1080\/0143116031000101675","article-title":"Digital change detection methods in ecosystem monitoring: A review","volume":"25","author":"Coppin","year":"2004","journal-title":"Int. J. Remote Sens"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"638","DOI":"10.2111\/REM-D-12-00021.1","article-title":"A vision for rangeland management based on best available knowledge and information","volume":"65","author":"Karl","year":"2012","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.2111\/05-115R.1","article-title":"A unified framework for assessment and application of ecological thresholds","volume":"59","author":"Briske","year":"2006","journal-title":"Rangel. Ecol. Manage"},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"79","article-title":"Land use change detection using Landsat data","volume":"5","author":"Wilson","year":"1977","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Earth Resour"}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/5\/1\/327\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T21:44:21Z","timestamp":1760219061000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/5\/1\/327"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2013,1,17]]},"references-count":27,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,1]]}},"alternative-id":["rs5010327"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs5010327","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2072-4292"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2013,1,17]]}}}