2.3.2 Analysis methods for land use change

The land use dynamic degree expresses the real and dynamic changes in different land use types. The single dynamic degree and comprehensive dynamic degree represent the degree of change of a single type of land quantity and all types of land quantity, respectively, throughout a study period [36]. Analyzing the long-term land use dynamics in a particular region can reveal the effects of human activities on LUCC and be utilized to simulate LUCC changes. Single land use dynamic degree can be calculated with the following formula [37]:

where U _a is the area of a certain type of land use at the beginning of the study period; U _b is the area at the end of the study period; T is the length of the study (years in the current study).

The dynamic degree of comprehensive land use can be calculated as follows:

where LU _i-j is the absolute value of the transfer area; LU _I is the area of the i-type land use at the beginning of the research period; and T is the research duration.