Vegetation dynamics and human settlement across the conterminous United States

Demography and ecology have long been intertwined in terms of understanding the relationships between population and the environment. Recent advances in data and technology, coupled with our increased understanding of social and ecological process, have greatly expanded the ability to link populations and ecosystems in order to understand their interrelationships. However, there remains a paucity of understanding of how climatic variability relates to the spatial patterning of people and how they may influence one another. Here we couple MODIS satellite estimates of interannual photosynthetic variability from 2000-2011 with housing density for the year 2000 to provide an estimate of the interaction between productivity dynamics and exurban influence at a 2 km resolution for the conterminous United States. The resultant map shows the convergence of population and climate influences on vegetation responses with broad patterns of interaction across the United States and notable extremes found throughout the Central Plains and localized regions of the Southwest US. These intersections of land use and vegetation dynamics have significant implications for ecological systems and ecosystem responses to climate dynamics.