NDVI spatial pattern and its differentiation on the Mongolian Plateau

GIMMS NDVI database and geo-statistics were used to depict the spatial distribution and temporal stability of NDVI on the Mongolian Plateau. The results demonstrated that: (1) Regions of interest with high NDVI indices were distributed primarily in forested mountainous regions of the east and the north, areas with low NDVI indices were primarily distributed in the Gobi desert regions of the west and the southwest, and areas with moderate NDVI values were mainly distributed in a middle steppe strap from northwest to southeast. (2) The maximum NDVI values maintained for the past 22 years showed little variation. The average NDVI variance coefficient for the 22-year period was 15.2%. (3) NDVI distribution and vegetation cover showed spatial autocorrelations on a global scale. NDVI patterns from the vegetation cover also demonstrated anisotropy; a higher positive spatial correlation was indicated in a NW-SE direction, which suggested that vegetation cover in a NW-SE direction maintained increased integrity, and vegetation assemblage was mainly distributed in the same specific direction. (4) The NDVI spatial distribution was mainly controlled by structural factors, 88.7% of the total spatial variation was influenced by structural and 11.3% by random factors. And the global autocorrelation distance was 1178 km, and the average vegetation patch length (NW-SE) to width (NE-SW) ratio was approximately 2.4:1.0.