Spatiotemporal analysis of landscape pattern and structure in the Greater Bay Area, China

Landscape fragmentation and structural changes are associated with spatial ecological and social processes. Landscape fragmentation modeling and land use distribution analysis provide a framework within which landscape pattern and structure can be studied and quantified. The Greater Bay Area (GBA) is one of the fastest growing urban agglomeration in China and due to the speedy socioeconomic development and urban expansion, the landscape became more diverse, fragmented, and complex in land use, structure, and shape. This study analyses the spatiotemporal variations in landscape pattern and structure in the Greater Bay Area based on the 40 years’ time-series remote sensing data (1980─2020), fragmentation modeling, and structure change analysis. We used the fragmentation analysis at category and patch level and analyzed the fragmentation over forest, cropland, and grassland. We further employed the economic model of spatial Lorenz Curve and Gini Index for estimating the distribution of land use land cover (LULC) categories and structure changes. The results indicated that the landscape pattern indices of Greater Bay Area as whole, and its eleven cities had an obvious variations and diversity during 1980 to 2020. However, the diffusion and coalescence processes in each city follow distinct patterns. Due to the anthropogenic modifications, the landscape pattern and structural complexity increased gradually during the study period.