This article uses the GlobeLand30 maps of land cover to characterize the difference between years 2000 and 2010 in Asia. Methods of Intensity Analysis and Difference Components dissect the transition matrix for nine categories:Barren,Grass,Cultivated,Forest,Shrub,Water,Artificial,WetlandandIce.ResultsshowthatBarren, Grass,Cultivated,andForesteachaccountformorethan21%ofAsiaatboth2000and2010,whiletransitions among those four categories account for more than half of the temporal difference. Nearly ten percent of Asia showsoveralltemporaldifference,whichisthesumofthreecomponents:quantity,exchangeandshift.Quantity accounts for less than a quarter of the temporal difference, while exchange accounts for three quarters of the temporaldifference.ThelargestquantitycomponentsatthecategorylevelareanetgainofBarrenandnetlosses ofGrassandShrub.Shrubdemonstratesthemostintensivelossandgainrelativetoacategory’ssize.Thelargest andmostintensivetransitionstoBarrenarefromGrassandShrub.Thelargestandmostintensivetransitionto Artificial is from Cultivated. Error information is not available for GlobeLand30 concerning 2000 or temporal change,butaconfusionmatrixisavailablefortheglobalextentat2010.Thisarticleappliesmethodstointerpret thedifferencebetweentwotimepointswhenaconfusionmatrixisavailableforonlythelattertimepoint.Ifthe 2010globalconfusionmatrixreflectserrorsinAsia,thensucherrorscouldhelptoexplainsomeofthegrossgain of Barren and the counter-intuitive loss of Artificial. If the GlobeLand30 data indicate true change, then gross change in Asia is 4.4 times larger than net change

Keywords