Comparison of temporal and spatial changes in three major tropical forests based on MODIS data

Numerous studies have shown that intact tropical forests account for half of the total terrestrial sink for anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Here, we analyzed and compared changes in three main tropical forest regions from 2000 to 2014, based on time-series analysis and landscape metrics derived from moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer data. We examined spatial-pattern changes in percentage of tree cover and net primary production (NPP) for three tropical forest regions—Amazon basin, Congo basin, and Southeast Asia. The results show that: the Amazon basin region had the largest tropical forest area and total NPP and a better continuity of TC distribution; the Southeast Asia region exhibited a sharp decrease in NPP and had comparatively separate spatial patterns of both TC and NPP; and the Congo basin region exhibited a dramatic increase in NPP and had better aggregation of forest NPP distribution. Results also show that aggregative patterns likely correlate with high NPP values.