Detection of yearly cover change with Landsat MSS on pastoral landscapes in Central Australia

Abstract This paper outlines the use of Landsat MSS for cover monitoring on sparsely vegetated landscapes grazed by cattle in central Australia. For important pastoral landscapes, a 5/7 ratio based on absolute reflectance was found to be linearly related to total plant cover, with correlation coefficients ( r ) varying from −0.90 to −0.98. The strength of this relationship was notable in that the predictive regressions used data from Landsats 2, 3, and 4 and had sun angles varying from 32° to 46°. Prediction of cover change on some landscapes was difficult because response to rainfall was confined in limited locations, or occurred at a subpixel level. Yearly or twice yearly cover measurement at a regional level is now feasible, but implementation depends on successfully blending the technology into the decision making processes of government agencies and pastoral managers. This blending will determine whether the coarser scale NOAA imagery will be more cost-effective than Landsat MSS, considering the scale at which decisions are taken.

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