Land cover

Land cover is the physical material found on the surface of the Earth. It includes things like plants, concrete, buildings, bare ground, and water. Scientists and experts study land cover to understand how the Earth's surface looks and changes over time.

Land cover surrounding Madison, Wisconsin. Fields are shaded yellow and brown, water blue, and urban surfaces red.

There are two main ways to gather information about land cover. One way is to visit the area and observe it directly, called a field survey. Another way is to look at pictures taken from satellites or airplanes, known as remotely sensed imagery. These images help us see large areas of land from far away.

One challenge with studying land cover is that different groups may define things differently. For example, the word "forest" can mean different things to different people. Some places might call an area a forest even if there are no trees there now, but they plan to plant them later. Other places might not call an area a forest if the trees aren't growing quickly enough. Understanding these differences is important for managing natural resources properly.

Distinction from "land use"

"Land cover" is different from "land use", even though people often use these words as if they mean the same thing. Land use describes how people use the land for things like jobs and activities. For example, urban areas are places where many people live and work, and agricultural land is where crops are grown. In any one spot, there can be many different ways the land is used, and deciding which use is allowed can sometimes involve political decisions.

Types

Land cover by IGBP with 17 classes. Class definition Color Code Water Evergreen Needleleaf forest Evergreen Broadleaf forest Deciduous Needleleaf Forest Deciduous Broadleaf Forest Mixed Forest Closed Shrubland Open Shrubland Woody Savannas Savannas Grasslands Permanent Wetlands Croplands Urban and Built-Up Cropland/Natural Vegetation Mosaic Snow and Ice Barren or Sparsely Vegetated

The next table shows land cover statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization, which uses 14 different classes to describe what covers the Earth's surface.

Land Cover (million ha = 10 000 km²)
type	1992	2001	2015	share	change fm 92	note
Artificial surfaces (including urban and associated areas)	26.04	34.33	55.40	0.37%	29.35
Herbaceous crops	1,716.22	1,749.58	1,712.15	11.50%	-4.06	Arable land
Woody crops	162.86	181.32	199.90	1.34%	37.04	Arable land
Multiple or layered crops						Arable land
Tree-covered areas	4,434.92	4,393.70	4,335.00	29.11%	-99.93	large decrease
Mangroves	18.06	18.39	18.74	0.13%	0.67
Shrub-covered areas	1,685.00	1,669.65	1,627.34	10.93%	-57.66	large decrease
Shrubs and/or herbaceous vegetation, aquatic or regularly flooded	202.61	194.77	185.39	1.24%	-17.23
Sparsely natural vegetated areas	891.78	878.69	868.07	5.83%	-23.71
Terrestrial barren land	2,001.25	2,000.87	1,884.00	12.65%	-117.25	large decrease
Permanent snow and glaciers	78.59	84.32	84.29	0.57%	5.70
Inland water bodies	432.60	435.00	444.57	2.98%	11.97
Coastal water bodies and intertidal areas
Grassland	1,793.65	1,806.50	1,801.14	12.09%	7.50
Total Land Mass			14,893.91	100%

Mapping

Process of land cover mapping using TM images

Land cover change detection helps us understand how places are changing. By using tools like satellites and maps, we can see how nature and human activities affect the land. This information is important for studying climate change and protecting habitats.

Land cover mapping is used in many ways, such as planning cities, preparing for natural disasters, taking care of nature, watching how the climate is changing, and making good rules to protect the environment.

Distinction from "land use"

Types

Mapping

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