Application of PALSAR data to classify vegetation in an ...earth.esa.int/.../432/pres_432_Schmid_Presentation.pdf · Applications of ALOS in Arid/Semiarid Land Studies: Land Degradation,

Rhodes, Greece3-7 November 2008

Application of PALSAR data to classify vegetation in an anthropogenically affected wetland area in

Central Spain (Las Tablas de Daimiel)

Thomas Schmid1, Magaly Koch2, Jesús Solana3 and Jose Gumuzzio4

1CIEMAT, Av. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid, Spain.2Centre for Remote Sensing, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.

3Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Faculty of Geography and History, 28040 Madrid, Spain.4Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Science Faculty, Madrid, Spain.

[email protected]

Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas,Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

Rhodes, Greece, 3-7 November 2008


Presentation overview

• Problem statement

• Wetland project

• Objectives

• Study area

• Methodology

• Data aquisition

• Preliminary results

• Conclusion


Problem statement

• Wetlands in semi-arid regions are complex and vulnerable ecosystems and are especially important in maintaining and controlling the environmental quality and biodiversity.

• These areas are threatened mainly by human-induced activities causing rapid processes of degradation with loss of wetland surface.

• “Las Tablas de Daimiel” is a National Park included in the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, Special Protection Area for Birds and Ramsar Convention lists.

• This wetland is a refuge for endemic and threatened species of flora and fauna, but human induced changes leads to loss of characteristic vegetation and large colonies of aquatic birds.

• Degradation indicators include the presence of nitrophilous and invasive species; reduction in the surface area of Great Fen-Sedge; increase of halophytic vegetation and eutrophic conditions in the surface water.


Wetland Project

This wetland project is within the framework of the Spanish National project “Multidisciplinar analysis of geoindicators of degradation in protected wetlands “Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park” (CGL22005-06458-C02-02/HID).

Applications of ALOS in Arid/Semiarid Land Studies: Land Degradation, Natural Hazards and Water Resources. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as part of the ALOS user agreement (ALOS-RA-81). PI: Dr. Magaly Koch

• Climate and human control on the degradation of protected wetlands (Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park) PI: Dr. Rosa Mª Mediavilla López

• Geoindicators of wetland degradation processes in Mediterranean environments of Spain: Multisensor Remote Sensing approach. PI: Dr. Jose Gumuzzio.

Remote sensing of climate change effects on ecology and biogeochemistry of macrophyte communities in Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park: designing adaptative strategies and monitoring programs for environmental conservation.

PI: Dr. Salvador Sánchez Carrillo.


Fieldsampling

Laboratory

Fieldclassification

Fieldspectroradiometry

Regionalstudy

Integrated approach


Multisensor Remote Sensing

RADARSAT-2

Proba1/ CHRIS

Optical and microvave sensors

ALOS

PALSARAVNIR2

Satélite EO-1 NASA

ALIHyperion

ASTER

Landsat 5

Landsat 7


Objective

The aim of this work is to investigate the capability of ALOS PALSAR in characterizing and monitoring dynamic ecosystems by utilizing a wetland area in Central Spain for which ample information already exists.

Specific objectives within the wetland area:• Detection of wetland plant communities and invasive vegetation species.• Mapping of open water lamina and flooded vegetated areas.• Assessing the capacity of PALSAR data to determine the spatial distribution of

these different components.


Las Tablas de Daimiel

Madrid

Study area

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CigCigüüelaela RiverRiver

Guadiana RiverGuadiana River

Daimiel


Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park• Climate: Temperate-cold continental• The area is in a depressed basin filled with Tertiary sediments, mainly of limestone

and calcareous clays.• Water sources: (1) Guadiana River (freshwater) and Cigüela River (brackish)

(2) Upwelling groundwater from underlying karstic aquifer.

Salt efflorescence.

Diminishing water level.

Areas with temporal flooding.

Crop cultivation with intensive irrigation surrounding wetlands.


Wetland vegetation

2005 2007

Rush communitiesQuercus ilex

Phragmatis communisCladium mariscus

Other tree species

Rush communitiesQuercus ilex

Phragmatis communisCladium mariscus

Other tree species

Annual vegetation

Island areasSaline areasVegetation freeAnnual vegetation

Island areasSaline areasVegetation free


Methodology

• Unsupervised classification• SupervisedData processing

• Field campaigns (spectral library)• Surface sample analyses (sediment, soil, water)

Ground-truth data

Monitoring• SAR • Multispectral (ASTER, ETM+)

Data acquisition

System, atmospheric, radiometric and geometric Calibration procedures

SAR, Hyperspectral and multispectral• Wet (spring) and dry (autumn) season

Database management• Georeferenced (field data, EO data)• Thematic maps

• Hyperspectral (endmember)• SAR (polarimetric)Surface caracterisation


PALSAR and AVNIR2 data acquisition

PALSAR Dual pol 11 June 2007

PALSAR Quad pol 3 May 2007AVNIR2 5 November 2007


Preliminary results

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NDVI

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Sinclair decomposition Vegetation index classification


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Preliminary results


Conclusions

• PALSAR offers several technical advantages to better discriminate wetland features (vegetation structure and wetland conditions).

• Due to dry conditions at present in the wetlands, it has not been possible to study the effect of shallow water bodies or aquatic plants. Data availability during wet and dry periods.

• Limitations with the PALSAR mode 1.5 data. Mode 1.1 would improve the possibility to discriminate wetland features.

• Geocoding and mode 1.1 necessity

• This work is ongoing and further application of PALSAR and AVNIR2 will be carried out together with data obtained from other sensors.

• Monitoring the wetland by integrating ALOS data to historical EO data.


Acknowledgements

• Many thanks go to the Jaxa team for the data management and organisation of the ALOS Palsar and AVNIR2 data.

• Further thanks go to Dr. Santos Cirujano for the identification and distribution of the vegetation.

• Funding of the National Project (CGL22005-06458-C02-02/HID)by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.

Documents

Application of PALSAR data to classify vegetation in an ...earth.esa.int/.../432/pres_432_Schmid_Presentation.pdf · Applications of ALOS in Arid/Semiarid Land Studies: Land Degradation,