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Complexity and landscape

In: Geografický časopis, vol. 60, no. 2
Milan Lehotský - Ján Novotný - Anna Grešková

Details:

Year, pages: 2008, 95 - 112
Keywords:
complexity, landscape, fluctuation, evolution, synoptic analysis, river landscape
About article:
The rapid acceleration of global changes in all spheres of human life requires implementation of holistic, integrative approaches. The aim of this paper is to outline the main ideas concerning the complexity theory in general as well as in landscape investigation. A system is said to be complex when the whole cannot be fully understood by analysing its components. Such systems usually do not move in a continuous and linear progression from the simpler to the more complex type, but they leap by the sudden emergence of successive levels of organization, towards strange attractors. The evolution of any landscape, as complex, open and self-organized system, can be explained by using synoptic analysis, where the global laws are considered in their geographical and temporal context. This approach is applied here to the problem of land cover evolution of the riverine landscape in the suburban area of Bratislava. Generally, the landcape of a river reach as an inundation area represents a space of conflicts between urban development and the flood regime of a large river. We recognized ten land cover categories of floodplain. The evolution of the area (1949-2004) can be divided into three evolutionary phases-fluctuations and we identified nine types of initiators/attractors. The modern evolution of the land cover pattern in the study area resulted in changes of geo-and biodiversity and increase of the landscape complexity.
How to cite:
ISO 690:
Lehotský, M., Novotný, J., Grešková, A. 2008. Complexity and landscape. In Geografický časopis, vol. 60, no.2, pp. 95-112. 0016-7193.

APA:
Lehotský, M., Novotný, J., Grešková, A. (2008). Complexity and landscape. Geografický časopis, 60(2), 95-112. 0016-7193.