Hamidreza Keshtkar - Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Vegetation cover is one of the determining parameters of energy equations at the ground level and the assessments and estimations of vegetation cover benefit several fields, especially hydrology, agriculture, and natural resource management. Changes in the vegetation cover of an area can be detected by several satellite imagery-based methods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. One of these methods is to use vegetation indices, in which casesatellite data can be utilized to conduct an extensive study of vegetation cover and its changes. In this study, NDVI data obtained from physical models were used to monitor the temporal and spatial changes of monthly and seasonal vegetation cover in Iran over a period of ۱۰ years. It was found that the areas around Alborz and Zagros mountains account for the largest portion of Iran’s monthly mean NDVI and the central plateau and the southern and eastern regions account for the smallest portion of this index. The results also showed that the lowest level of vegetation cover in Iran in the past ۱۰ years has been related to February of ۲۰۱۲ and the highest has been related to May and April of ۲۰۲۰.

NDVI, Remote sensing, Modis, Iran