Detecting land cover and land use change and its impact on biomass carbon emission from 2001 to 2019 in Arkansas, U.S.A

Abstract

Land cover and land use change (LCLUC) is a significant contributor to the changes in biomass carbon emissions. The state of Arkansas in the U.S.A. has experienced LCLUC over last five decades. This study combined geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing, and spatiotemporal analysis to quantify changes in vegetation carbon storage resulting from LCLUC during 2001–2019. The result showed that there were fluctuating changes among all land cover land use types, while the significant transition occurred mainly between forest and grassland. From 2001 to 2011, there were?~1973.8 km² forest gain, mostly contributed from grassland/shrubland (~1448.8 km²), followed by farmland (~489.5 km²). The?~?3575.3 km² of forest was mainly changed into grassland/shrubland (~3343.4 km²) and built-up land (114.0 km²), leading to a net loss of?~1601.5 km² in forest during this 10-year period. Similarly, the changes of grassland/shrubland, farmland, and built-up land with forest resulted in?~493.1 km² net gain in forest from 2011 to 2019. During the process, a total of?~1.3 million tC biomass carbon was lost over the past 18?years in Arkansas, which is largely because of forest loss. However, due to the regrowth of trees, Arkansas also witnessed carbon gain during some periods. The spatiotemporal change of carbon storage and its drivers revealed by this study provide an important scientific basis for sustainable land use planning in Arkansas.