Coastal Services Center

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Change Analysis

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In addition to depicting the land cover status for a given point in time, comparing maps from various years documents how land cover changes over time. With these maps users can analysis how the land cover has changed (from forests to shrubs, for instance) and quantify the amount of change.

This information can be used to better understand the cumulative effects of development, including impacts of land cover on water quality and indicators that link land cover change with ecosystem health. This information may also be used to develop improved models that simulate or predict land use change and the resulting impacts.

The above images capture the loss of forested lands in northeastern South Carolina. The forests were converted to low-intensity development, such as residential housing, or to scrub/shrub, reflecting regrowth after timber harvests.