Landscape metrics and indices : an overview of their use in landscape research

The aim of this overview paper is to analyze the use of various landscape metrics and landscape indices for the characterization of landscape structure and various processes at both landscape and ecosystem level. We analyzed the appearance of the terms landscape metrics/indexes/indices in combination with seven main categories in the field of landscape ecology [1) use/selection and misuse of metrics, 2) biodiversity and habitat analysis; 3) water quality; 4) evaluation of the landscape pattern and its change; 5) urban landscape pattern, road network; 6) aesthetics of landscape; 7) management, planning and monitoring] in the titles, abstracts and/or key words of research papers published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals indexed by the Institute of Science Information (ISI) Web of Science (WoS) from 1994 to October 2008. Most of the landscape metrics and indices are used concerning biodiversity and habitat analysis, and also the evaluation of landscape pattern and its change (up to 25 articles per year). There are only a few articles on the relationships of landscape metrics/indices/indexes to social aspects and landscape perception

Future soil loss in highland Ethiopia under changing climate and land use

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-020-01617-

Increasing fragmentation of forest cover in Brazil’s Legal Amazon from 2001 to 2017

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-62591-

Vertical Accuracy of Freely Available Global Digital Elevation Models (ASTER, AW3D30, MERIT, TanDEM-X, SRTM, and NASADEM)

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/21/348

EstSoil-EH: a high-resolution eco-hydrological modelling parameters dataset for Estonia

https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/13/83/2021

Urban stormwater retention capacity of nature-based solutions at different climatic conditions

Climate change and the continuing increase in human population creates a growing need to tackle urban stormwater problems. One promising mitigation option is by using nature-based solutions (NBS) – especially sustainable urban stormwater management technologies that are key elements of NBS action. We used a synthesis approach to compile available information about urban stormwater retention capacity of the most common sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in different climatic conditions. Those SUDS targeting stormwater management through water retention and removal solutions (mainly by infiltration, overland flow and evapotranspiration), were addressed in this study. Selected SUDS were green roofs, bioretention systems (i.e. rain gardens), buffer and filter strips, vegetated swales, constructed wetlands, and water-pervious pavements. We found that despite a vast amount of data available from real-life applications and research results, there is a lack of decisive information about stormwater retention and removal capacity of selected SUDS. The available data show large variability in performance across different climatic conditions. It is therefore a challenge to set conclusive widely applicable guidelines for SUDS implementation based on available water retention data. Adequate data were available only to evaluate the water retention capacity of green roofs (average 56±20%) and we provide a comprehensive review on this function. However, as with other SUDS, still the same problem of high variability in the performance (min 11% and max 99% of retention) remains. This limits our ability to determine the capacity of green roofs to support better planning and wider implementation across climate zones. The further development of SUDS to support urban stormwater retention should be informed by and developed concurrently with the adaptation strategies to cope with climate change, especially with increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events that lead to high volumes of stormwater runoff

Greenspace spatial characteristics and human health in an urban environment : an epidemiological study using landscape metrics in Sheffield, UK

Cross-sectional research linking exposure to greenspace with human health rarely describes greenspace characteristics in detail, but a few studies do find that some types of greenspace have greater health benefits than others. We review literature linking landscape metrics to multiple mechanisms by which greenspace exposure is posited to benefit health. Using metrics identified in this process to describe the composition and configuration of urban greenspace, we conduct a small-area epidemiological analysis of self-reported general health for the city of Sheffield, UK. A relatively high proportion of water cover and a high diversity of tree planting are associated with lower levels of poor health; while a high proportion of grass cover, which may be indicative of low quality greenspaces, is associated with higher levels. The presence of large greenspace patches that are well interspersed with the built environment is also associated with lower levels of poor health. We demonstrate a successful methodology for identifying useful landscape metrics even where effect sizes are small, and explore the challenges of translating results of landscape metric studies into policy guidance