Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU

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The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research into advancing land-use science by analyzing and interpretation of the National Land Cover Trends database. Information on the rates, driving forces, and consequences of land use and land cover change is important in studies addressing issues ranging from the health of aquatic resources to climate change. The challenge facing policy-makers and scientists is that there is generally a lack of comprehensive data on the types and rates of land use and land cover changes, and even less systematic evidence on the cause and consequences of these changes. Lack of local and regional data of sufficient reliability and temporal and geographic detail frustrates attempts at fine-tuned assessment of the implications of such changes. Developing an understanding in these area will lead to improved ability to predict changes and, consequently, to improve policies for regional management of environmental resources. Multi-temporal land change data and field work results will provide a unique opportunity to develop and understanding about the causes of land change, and to develop new methods of finding driving forces that are associated with land cover change. The results of this research will enhance the understanding of recent U.S. land changes. The objectives of this work is to analysis and interpret the record of land use dynamics that includes land use and land cover change to enhance understanding of the physical and social drivers of land surface change.

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