Thesis (MSc (Geography and Environmental Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The Agulhas Plain, an area rich in fynbos, was monitored within six months after the February
2006 fire. The potential of using medium resolution imagery, specifically from the Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in determining the re-growth rates of
indigenous and alien vegetation types after fire was explored. Pixels representing dense areas of
each vegetation type were selected. There was a significant difference in the pixels selected for
each vegetation type. A time series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data
was derived and fitted to functions, such as Double Logistics and Asymmetric Gaussian as
implemented in the TIMESAT software. The results show that alien vegetation grows faster
after a fire occurrence than in its absence. Within the specified months of monitoring, it was
observed that fynbos grew faster than the alien vegetation. Also, the re-growth rates of
vegetation on the coastal soils were higher than those of vegetation on the inland soils. The
determination of the re-growth rate was necessary to assist resource managers determine the
appropriate time for follow-up of clearing invaded sites after fire.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/2514 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Fatoki, Oluwakemi Busayo |
| Contributors | Smith, N., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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