Abstrcat Supported by GIS

landscape pattern at different elevations above sea level in the Three Gorges area is determined from the proportion of land area at specified elevations compared with total landscape area

the fractal dimension of landscape patches

the landscape diversity index

the mean patch area and the landscape fragment index. A key conclusion is that the landscape pattern of similar landscape components varies at the same elevation; Results from the broad scale pattern of landscape characteristics at different elevations are as follows: landscape diversity decreases (1.332

1.242

1.203

1.061

and 0.837) with the increasing of elevation; the fractal dimension varies (1.239

1.189

1.176

1.173 and 1.208) with the increasing of elevation; and the mean patch area varies (64.93

35.29

39.65

59.4

101.03 hm~2) with the increasing of elevation