The Emergence of Land Change Science for Global Environmental Change and Sustainability

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2007 Dec 21

PMID 18093934

Citations 129

Authors

B L Turner 2nd

Eric F Lambin

Anette Reenberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Land change science has emerged as a fundamental component of global environmental change and sustainability research. This interdisciplinary field seeks to understand the dynamics of land cover and land use as a coupled human-environment system to address theory, concepts, models, and applications relevant to environmental and societal problems, including the intersection of the two. The major components and advances in land change are addressed: observation and monitoring; understanding the coupled system-causes, impacts, and consequences; modeling; and synthesis issues. The six articles of the special feature are introduced and situated within these components of study.

Citing Articles

Nonnegligible cascading impacts of global urban expansion on net primary productivity.

Liu K, Pei F, Liu X, Zeng Z, Zhu P, Fang C PNAS Nexus. 2025; 4(1).

PMID: 39871827 PMC: 11770600. DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae220.

Land system changes of terrestrial tipping elements on Earth under global climate pledges: 2000-2100.

Lv J, Gao Y, Song C, Chen L, Ye S, Gao P Sci Data. 2025; 12(1):163.

PMID: 39870678 PMC: 11772770. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-025-04444-8.

Soil Microbial Responses to Varying Environmental Conditions in a Copper Belt Region of Africa: Phytoremediation Perspectives.

Nkongolo K, Mukalay J, Lubobo A, Michael P Microorganisms. 2025; 13(1).

PMID: 39858800 PMC: 11767397. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms13010031.

Comprehensive dataset from high resolution UAV land cover mapping of diverse natural environments in Serbia.

Ivosevic B, Pajevic N, Brdar S, Waqar R, Khan M, Valente J Sci Data. 2025; 12(1):66.

PMID: 39809785 PMC: 11733027. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-025-04437-7.

Thematic Accuracy Assessment of the NLCD 2016 land cover for the conterminous United States.

Wickham J, Stehman S, Sorenson D, Gass L, Dewitz J Remote Sens Environ. 2025; 257.

PMID: 39749320 PMC: 11694894. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2021.112357.

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