Evaluating the capabilities of Sentinel-2 for quantitative estimation of biophysical variables in vegetation

The red edge position (REP) in the vegetation spectral reflectance is a surrogate measure of vegetation chlorophyll content, and hence can be used to monitor the health and function of vegetation. The Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) aboard the future ESA Sentinel-2 (S-2) satellite will provide the opportunity for estimation of the REP at much higher spatial resolution (20 m) than has been previously possible with spaceborne sensors such as Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) aboard ENVISAT. This study aims to evaluate the potential of S-2 MSI sensor for estimation of canopy chlorophyll content, leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll concentration (LCC) using data from multiple field campaigns. Included in the assessed field campaigns are results from SEN3Exp in Barrax, Spain composed of 35 elementary sampling units (ESUs) of LCC and LAI which have been assessed for correlation with simulated MSI data using a CASI airborne imaging spectrometer. Analysis also presents results from SicilyS2EVAL, a campaign consisting of 25 ESUs in Sicily, Italy supported by a simultaneous Specim Aisa-Eagle data acquisition. In addition, these results were compared to outputs from the PROSAIL model for similar values of biophysical variables in the ESUs. The paper in turn assessed the scope of S-2 for retrieval of biophysical variables using these combined datasets through investigating the performance of the relevant Vegetation Indices (VIs) as well as presenting the novel Inverted Red-Edge Chlorophyll Index (IRECI) and Sentinel-2 Red-Edge Position (S2REP). Results indicated significant relationships between both canopy chlorophyll content and LAI for simulated MSI data using IRECI or the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) while S2REP and the MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) were found to have the strongest correlation for retrieval of LCC.     

Remote estimation of nitrogen and chlorophyll contents in maize at leaf and canopy levels

Leaf and canopy nitrogen (N) status relates strongly to leaf and canopy chlorophyll (Chl) content. Remote sensing is a tool that has the potential to assess N content at leaf, plant, field, regional and global scales. In this study, remote sensing techniques were applied to estimate N and Chl contents of irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) fertilized at five N rates. Leaf N and Chl contents were determined using the red-edge chlorophyll index with R² of 0.74 and 0.94, respectively. Results showed that at the canopy level, Chl and N contents can be accurately retrieved using green and red-edge Chl indices using near infrared (780–800 nm) and either green (540–560 nm) or red-edge (730–750 nm) spectral bands. Spectral bands that were found optimal for Chl and N estimations coincide well with the red-edge band of the MSI sensor onboard the near future Sentinel-2 satellite. The coefficient of determination for the relationships between the red-edge chlorophyll index, simulated in Sentinel-2 bands, and Chl and N content was 0.90 and 0.87, respectively.     

Sentinel-2 red-edge spectral indices (RESI) suitability for mapping rubber boom in Luang Namtha Province,northern Lao PDR

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) tree cultivation is being continuously expanded northward by replacing evergreen forests and swidden-related regenerated vegetation across the uplands of mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), e.g., Laos, a landlocked mountainous country. The non-native tree establishment in the northern tropical edge, or the non-traditional suitable planting area, provides stable supplies of natural latex, yet also leads to severe ecological degradation and environmental effects in water conservation, soil quality, rainforest fragmentation and biodiversity. Rubber plantations in the northern part of MSEA are normally characterized by periodic deciduous during the dry season, along with a lengthy defoliation-foliation duration, because of seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. It thus lays a phenological and physiological base for dynamics monitoring with common multispectral (e.g., near-infrared and short-wave infrared bands) satellites, particularly Landsat. However, whether Sentinel-2 red-edge based algorithms are suitable for discriminating rubber plantations is not yet exclusively reported. Here, we developed a red-edge spectral indices (RESI) method through the normalization of three red-edge bands and applied it to identify and map rubber plantations in Luang Namtha Province of northern Laos, where a rubber boom begun in the mid-2000s. The RESI algorithm highlights the sensitivity of red-edge bands to the changes in moisture content and canopy density of rubber plantations. The area of mature rubber plantations was estimated to be 771.2 km² in this province bordering southwest China in 2018, which was nearly twice as much as that of 2011, with the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient up to 92.50% and 0.91, respectively. Our phenology-based RESI approach not only indicates that Sentinel-2 imagery holds significant potential for monitoring rubber plantations, but also improves the remotely-sensed methods of rubber boom mapping via introducing the red-edge channel.     

Gaussian processes uncertainty estimates in experimental Sentinel-2 LAI and leaf chlorophyll content retrieval

ESA’s upcoming Sentinel-2 (S2) Multispectral Instrument (MSI) foresees to provide continuity to land monitoring services by relying on optical payload with visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared sensors with high spectral, spatial and temporal resolution. This unprecedented data availability leads to an urgent need for developing robust and accurate retrieval methods, which ideally should provide uncertainty intervals for the predictions. Statistical learning regression algorithms are powerful candidats for the estimation of biophysical parameters from satellite reflectance measurements because of their ability to perform adaptive, nonlinear data fitting. In this paper, we focus on a new emerging technique in the field of Bayesian nonparametric modeling. We exploit Gaussian process regression (GPR) for retrieval, which is an accurate method that also provides uncertainty intervals along with the mean estimates. This distinct feature is not shared by other machine learning approaches. In view of implementing the regressor into operational monitoring applications, here the portability of locally trained GPR models was evaluated. Experimental data came from the ESA-led field campaign SPARC (Barrax, Spain). For various simulated S2 configurations (S2-10m, S2-20m and S2-60m) two important biophysical parameters were estimated: leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and leaf area index (LAI). Local evaluation of an extended training dataset with more variation over bare soil sites led to improved LCC and LAI mapping with reduced uncertainties. GPR reached the 10% precision required by end users, with for LCC a NRMSE of 3.5–9.2% (r²: 0.95–0.99) and for LAI a NRMSE of 6.5–7.3% (r²: 0.95–0.96). The developed GPR models were subsequently applied to simulated Sentinel images over various sites. The associated uncertainty maps proved to be a good indicator for evaluating the robustness of the retrieval performance. The generally low uncertainty intervals over vegetated surfaces suggest that the locally trained GPR models are portable to other sites and conditions.     

估算混合植被叶绿素含量的理想波段分析

应用Lopex数据库评价了19个波谱指数对物种的敏感性, 分析了叶绿素含量与波谱反射率以及波谱导数的相关性, 目的在于探寻对叶绿素含量变化的敏感性, 对物种和叶片结构变化不敏感的理想波段, 应用大尺度遥感数据估算混合植被冠层叶绿素含量。分析结果表明：红边指数对混合植被的叶绿素含量具有较好的指示作用;估算冠层叶绿素含量的理想波段为698—710nm附近较窄的波段范围;对于波谱导数, 估算混合植被叶绿素含量的理想波段范围为720—735nm和535—550nm附近波谱导数。     

Comparing methods for mapping canopy chlorophyll content in a mixed mountain forest using Sentinel-2 data

The Sentinel-2 Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) has three spectral bands centered at 705, 740, and 783 nm wavelengths that exploit the red-edge information useful for quantifying plant biochemical traits. This sensor configuration is expected to improve the prediction accuracy of vegetation chlorophyll content. In this work, we assessed the performance of several statistical and physical-based methods in retrieving canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) from Sentinel-2 in a heterogeneous mixed mountain forest. Amongst the algorithms presented in the literature, 13 different vegetation indices (VIs), a non-parametric statistical approach, and two radiative transfer models (RTM) were used to assess the CCC prediction accuracy. A field campaign was conducted in July 2017 to collect in situ measurements of CCC in Bavarian forest national park, and the cloud-free Sentinel-2 image was acquired on 13 July 2017. The leave-one-out cross-validation technique was used to compare the VIs and the non-parametric approach. Whereas physical-based methods were calibrated using simulated data and validated using the in situ reference dataset. The statistical-based approaches, such as the modified simple ratio (mSR) vegetation index and the partial least square regression (PLSR) outperformed all other techniques. As such the modified simple ratio (mSR3) (665, 865) gave the lowest cross-validated RMSE of 0.21 g/m² (R² = 0.75). The PLSR resulted in the highest R² of 0.78, and slightly higher RMSE =0.22 g/m² than mSR3. The physical-based approach-INFORM inversion using look-up table resulted in an RMSE =0.31 g/m², and R² = 0.67. Although mapping CCC using these methods revealed similar spatial distribution patterns, over and underestimation of low and high CCC values were observed mainly in the statistical approaches. Further validation using in situ data from different terrestrial ecosystems is imperative for both the statistical and physical-based approaches' effectiveness to quantify CCC before selecting the best operational algorithm to map CCC from Sentinel-2 for long-term terrestrial ecosystems monitoring across the globe.     

利用Sentinel-2影像超分辨率重建的红树林冠层氮含量反演

氮素是植被整个生命周期的必要元素,红树林冠层氮素含量（CNC）遥感估算对红树林健康监测具有重要意义。以广东湛江高桥红树林保护区为研究区,本文旨在基于Sentinel-2影像超分辨率重建技术进行红树林CNC估算和空间制图。研究首先基于三次卷积重采样、Sen2Res和SupReMe算法实现Sentinel-2影像从20 m分辨率到10 m的重建;然后以重建后的影像和原始20 m影像为数据源构建40个相关植被指数,采用递归特征消除法（SVM-RFE）确定CNC估算的最优变量组合,进而构建CNC反演的核岭回归（KRR）模型;最后选取最优模型实现CNC制图。研究结果表明：基于Sen2Res和SupReMe超分辨率算法的重建影像不仅与原始影像具有很高的光谱一致性,且明显提高了影像的清晰度和空间细节。红树林CNC反演波段主要集中在红（B4）、红边（B5）、近红外波段（B8a）以及短波红外波段（B11和B12）,与“红边波段”相关的植被指数（RSSI和TCARIre1/OSAVI）也是红树林CNC反演的有效变量。基于3种方法重建后10 m的影像构建的模型反演精度（R²val>0.579）均优于原始20 m的影像（R²val=0.504）;基于Sen2Res算法重建影像构建的反演模型拟合精度（R²val=0.630,RMSE_val=5.133,RE_val=0.179）与基于三次卷积重采样重建影像的模型拟合精度（R²val=0.640,RMSE_val=5.064,RE_val=0.179）基本相当,前者模型验证精度（R²cv=0.497,RMSE_cv=5.985,RE_cv=0.214）较高且模型变量选择数量最为合理。综合重建影像光谱细节及模型精度,基于Sen2Res算法重建的Sentinel-2影像在红树林CNC估算中具有良好的应用潜力,能为区域尺度红树林冠层健康状况的精细监测提供有效的方法借鉴和数据支撑。     

Evaluation of forest fire on Madeira Island using Sentinel-2A MSI imagery

A forest fire started on August 8th, 2016 in several places on Madeira Island causing damage and casualties. As of August 10th the local media had reported the death of three people, over 200 people injured, over 950 habitants evacuated, and 50 houses damaged. This study presents the preliminary results of the assessment of several spectral indices to evaluate the burn severity of Madeira fires during August 2016. These spectral indices were calculated using the new European satellite Sentinel-2A launched in June 2015. The study confirmed the advantages of several spectral indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVIreXn) using red-edge spectral bands to assess the post-fire conditions. Results showed high correlation between NDVI, GNDVI, NBR and NDVIre1n spectral indices and the analysis performed by Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMSR175), considered as the reference truth. Regarding the red-edge spectral indices, the NDVIre1n (using band B5, 705 nm) presented better results compared with B6 (740 nm) and B7 (783 nm) bands. These preliminary results allow us to assume that Sentinel-2 will be a valuable tool for post-fire monitoring. In the future, the two twin Sentinel-2 satellites will offer global coverage of the Madeira Archipelago every five days, therefore allowing the simultaneous study of the evolution of the burnt area and reforestation information with high spatial (up to 10 m) and temporal resolution (5 days).     

Sentinel-2数据的冬小麦地上干生物量估算及评价

作物生物量快速精确的监测对于农业资源的合理利用与农田的精准管理具有重要意义。近年来,遥感技术因其独特的优势已被广泛用于作物生物量的估算中。本文主要针对不同宽波段植被指数在冬小麦生物量(文中的生物量均是指地上干生物量)估算方面的表现进行探索。首先利用欧洲空间局最新的Sentinel-2A卫星数据提取出17种常见的植被指数,之后分别构建其与相应时期内采集的冬小麦地上生物量间的最优估算模型,通过分析两者间的相关性与敏感性,获取适宜进行生物量估算的指数。最后,绘制了研究区的生物量空间分布图。结果表明,所选的植被指数均与生物量显著相关。其中,红边叶绿素指数(CI_(re))与生物量的估算精度最高(决定性系数R~2为0.83;均方根误差RMSE为180.29 g·m~(–2))。虽然相关性较高,但部分指数,如归一化差值植被指数(NDVI)等在生物量较高时会出现饱和现象,从而导致生物量的低估。而加入红边波段的指数不仅能够延缓指数的饱和趋势,而且能够提高反演精度。此外,通过敏感性分析发现,归一化差值指数和比值指数分别在作物生长的早期和中后期对生物量的变化保持较高的敏感性。由于红边比值指数(SR_(re))和MERIS叶绿素敏感指数(MTCI)在冬小麦全生长季内一直对生物量的变化保持高灵敏性,二者是生物量估算中最为稳定的指数。     

Assessing the suitability of data from Sentinel-1A and 2A for crop classification

Sentinel-1A C-SAR and Sentinel-2A MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) provide data applicable to the remote identification of crop type. In this study, six crop types (beans, beetroot, grass, maize, potato, and winter wheat) were identified using five C-SAR images and one MSI image acquired during the 2016 growing season. To assess the potential for accurate crop classification with existing supervised learning models, the four different approaches namely kernel-based extreme learning machine (KELM), multilayer feedforward neural networks, random forests, and support vector machine were compared. Algorithm hyperparameters were tuned using Bayesian optimization. Overall, KELM yielded the highest performance, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 96.8%. Evaluation of the sensitivity of classification models and relative importance of data types using data-based sensitivity analysis showed that the set of VV polarization data acquired on 24 July (Sentinel-1A) and band 4 data (Sentinel-2A) had the greatest potential for use in crop classification.     

Mapping of forest tree distribution and estimation of forest biodiversity using Sentinel-2 imagery in the University Research Forest Taxiarchis in Chalkidiki,Greece

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of Sentinel-2 imagery for the identification and determination of forest patches of particular interest, with respect to ecosystem integrity and biodiversity and to produce a relevant biodiversity map, based on Simpson’s diversity index in Taxiarchis university research forest, Chalkidiki, North Greece. The research is based on OBIA being developed on to bi-temporal summer and winter Sentinel-2 imagery. Fuzzy rules, which are based on topographic factors, such as terrain elevation and slope for the distribution of each tree species, derived from expert knowledge and field observations, were used to improve the accuracy of tree species classification. Finally, Simpson’s diversity index for forest tree species, was calculated and mapped, constituting a relative indicator for biodiversity for forest ecosystem organisms (fungi, insects, birds, reptiles, mammals) and carrying implications for the identification of patches prone to disturbance or that should be prioritized for conservation.     

High-resolution mapping of forest canopy height using machine learning by coupling ICESat-2 LiDAR with Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 data

Forest canopy height is an important indicator of forest carbon storage, productivity, and biodiversity. The present study showed the first attempt to develop a machine-learning workflow to map the spatial pattern of the forest canopy height in a mountainous region in the northeast China by coupling the recently available canopy height (H_canopy) footprint product from ICESat-2 with the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite data. The ICESat-2 H_canopy was initially validated by the high-resolution canopy height from airborne LiDAR data at different spatial scales. Performance comparisons were conducted between two machine-learning models – deep learning (DL) model and random forest (RF) model, and between the Sentinel and Landsat-8 satellites. Results showed that the ICESat-2 H_canopy showed the highest correlation with the airborne LiDAR canopy height at a spatial scale of 250 m with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R) of 0.82 and a mean bias of -1.46 m, providing important evidence on the reliability of the ICESat-2 vegetation height product from the case in China’s forest. Both DL and RF models obtained satisfactory accuracy on the upscaling of ICESat-2 H_canopy assisted by Sentinel satellite co-variables with an R-value between the observed and predicted H_canopy equalling 0.78 and 0.68, respectively. Compared to Sentinel satellites, Landsat-8 showed relatively weaker performance in H_canopy prediction, suggesting that the addition of the backscattering coefficients from Sentinel-1 and the red-edge related variables from Sentinel-2 could positively contribute to the prediction of forest canopy height. To our knowledge, few studies have demonstrated large-scale vegetation height mapping in a resolution ≤ 250 m based on the newly available satellites (ICESat-2, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2) and DL regression model, particularly in the forest areas in China. Thus, the present work provided a timely and important supplementary to the applications of these new earth observation tools.     

Comparative analysis of different uni- and multi-variate methods for estimation of vegetation water content using hyper-spectral measurements

Assessment of vegetation water content is critical for monitoring vegetation condition, detecting plant water stress, assessing the risk of forest fires and evaluating water status for irrigation. The main objective of this study was to investigate the performance of various mono- and multi-variate statistical methods for estimating vegetation water content (VWC) from hyper-spectral data. Hyper-spectral data is influenced by multi-collinearity because of a large number of (independent) spectral bands being modeled by a small number of (dependent) biophysical variables. Therefore, some full spectrum methods that are known to be suitable for analyzing multi-collinear data set were chosen. Canopy spectral reflectance was obtained with a GER 3700 spectro-radiometer (400–2400 nm) in a laboratory setting and VWC was measured by calculating wet/dry weight difference per unit of ground area (g/m²) of each plant canopy (n = 95). Three multivariate statistical methods were applied to estimate VWC: (1) partial least square regression, (2) artificial neural network and (3) principal component regression. They were selected to minimize the problem related to multi-collinearity. For comparison, uni-variate techniques including narrow band ratio water index (RWI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), second soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI2) and transferred soil adjusted vegetation index (TSAVI) were applied. For each type of vegetation index, all two-band combinations were evaluated to determine the best band combination. Validation of the methods was based on the cross validation procedure and using three statistical indicators: R², RMSE and relative RMSE. The cross-validated results identified PLSR as the regression model providing the most accurate estimates of VWC among the various methods. The result revealed that this model is highly recommended for use with multi-collinear datasets ($R_{\text{CV}}^2=0.94$, RRMSE_CV = 0.23). Principal component regression exhibited the lowest accuracy among the multivariate models ($R_{\text{CV}}^2=0.78$, RRMSE_CV = 0.41).     

Non-destructive estimation of foliar chlorophyll and carotenoid contents: Focus on informative spectral bands

Leaf pigment content provides valuable insight into the productivity, physiological and phenological status of vegetation. Measurement of spectral reflectance offers a fast, nondestructive method for pigment estimation. A number of methods were used previously for estimation of leaf pigment content, however, spectral bands employed varied widely among the models and data used. Our objective was to find informative spectral bands in three types of models, vegetation indices (VI), neural network (NN) and partial least squares (PLS) regression, for estimating leaf chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) contents of three unrelated tree species and to assess the accuracy of the models using a minimal number of bands. The bands selected by PLS, NN and VIs were in close agreement and did not depend on the data used. The results of the uninformative variable elimination PLS approach, where the reliability parameter was used as an indicator of the information contained in the spectral bands, confirmed the bands selected by the VIs, NN, and PLS models. All three types of models were able to accurately estimate Chl content with coefficient of variation below 12% for all three species with VI showing the best performance. NN and PLS using reflectance in four spectral bands were able to estimate accurately Car content with coefficient of variation below 14%. The quantitative framework presented here offers a new way of estimating foliar pigment content not requiring model re-parameterization for different species. The approach was tested using the spectral bands of the future Sentinel-2 satellite and the results of these simulations showed that accurate pigment estimation from satellite would be possible.     

Trend analysis and first time observations of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in South Africa using TROPOMI/Sentinel-5 P data

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end extreme poverty and create a healthy, sustainable world by the year 2030. Goal 7 is of interest to this study as it targets access to clean and affordable energy. However, in this study we show that the energy created in South Africa is not necessary clean. South Africa has numerous coal-fired power station located in the Mpumalanga (MP), Gauteng (GP) and Limpopo (LP) provinces. These power station produce tons of toxic pollutants including sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulphates (SO₄). These pollutants are known to have a negative impact on human health, climate and the environment. In this study we use the sequential Mann-Kendall test to investigate the 39 year (1980–2019) trends of SO₂, NO₂ and SO₄ from these source areas. We also report for the first time on the observations of SO₂ and NO₂ from the Sentinel-5 P sensor over South Africa. Increasing trends of SO₂ were observed in the MP, LP and GP regions. The increase was mostly due to the emissions from coal-fired power stations. Moreover, the increase of SO₂ over the years could be due to the increasing demand in electricity, aging power stations and the low quality of coal used. Sentinel-5 P observations of SO₂ and NO₂ over South Africa were observed in the MP, GP and LP regions as a result of coal-fired power stations. Dispersion of SO₂ and NO₂ over South Africa were observed in the winter months, while confined SO₂ and NO₂ in the source region were observed in the summer months.     

Estimation of leaf area index using PROSAIL based LUT inversion,MLRA-GPR and empirical models: Case study of tropical deciduous forest plantation,North India

Forests play a vital role in biological cycles and environmental regulation. To understand the key processes of forest canopies (e.g., photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration), reliable and accurate information on spatial variability of Leaf Area Index (LAI), and its seasonal dynamics is essential. In the present study, we assessed the performance of biophysical parameter (LAI) retrieval methods viz. Look-Up Table (LUT)-inversion, MLRA-GPR (Machine Learning Regression Algorithm- Gaussian Processes Regression) and empirical models, for estimating the LAI of tropical deciduous plantation using ARTMO (Automated Radiative Transfer Models Operator) tool and Sentinel-2 satellite images. The study was conducted in Central Tarai Forest Division, Haldwani, located in the Uttarakhand state, India. A total of 49 ESUs (Elementary Sampling Unit) of 30 m × 30 m size were established based on variability in composition and age of plantation stands. In-situ LAI was recorded using plant canopy imager during the leaf growing, peak and senescence seasons. The PROSAIL model was calibrated with site-specific biophysical and biochemical parameters before used to the predicted LAI. The plantation LAI was also predicted by an empirical approach using optimally chosen Sentinel-2 vegetation indices. In addition, Sentinel-2 and MODIS LAI products were evaluated with respect to LAI measurements. MLRA-GPR offered best results for predicting LAI of leaf growing (R² = 0.9, RMSE = 0.14), peak (R² = 0.87, RMSE = 0.21) and senescence (R² = 0.86, RMSE = 0.31) seasons while LUT inverted model outperformed VI’s based parametric regression model. Vegetation indices (VIs) derived from 740 nm, 783 nm and 2190 nm band combinations of Sentinel-2 offered the best prediction of LAI.     

结合Sentinel-2光谱与纹理信息的冬小麦作物茬覆盖度估算

作物茬覆盖度的估算对于探究农业耕作方式对周围环境的影响具有十分重要的意义。目前,基于多光谱影像的作物茬指数是作物茬覆盖度估算的常用方法。然而,在作物茬高覆盖区域,指数法容易出现“饱和”现象。已有研究结果表明结合影像的光谱与纹理信息有助于改善指数法的“饱和”问题。Sentinel-2作为一颗多光谱卫星,空间分辨率可达10 m,与Landsat OLI相比,具有更丰富的纹理信息。因此,探究Sentinel-2光谱与纹理信息相结合在作物茬覆盖度估算上的潜力具有重要意义。本文以山东省禹城市为研究区,分析了Sentinel-2各波段反射率、归一化差值指数以及不同窗口大小下灰度共生矩阵统计量等遥感因子与野外实测作物茬覆盖度的相关性,并利用最优子集法对遥感因子进行筛选,构建作物茬覆盖度的最优估算模型。同时,使用留一法交叉验证对模型进行评价。结果表明在单因子分析中,归一化差异耕作指数NDTI（Normalized Difference Residue Index）与作物茬覆盖度的相关性最好,相关系数达0.735。使用NDTI、5×5窗口下Sentinel-2 8A波段的相关性统计量以及12波段的方差统计量构建的多元方程是作物茬覆盖度估算的最优模型,相关系数为0.869,均方根误差为11%。与仅使用光谱信息的最优模型相比,相关系数提高了0.094,均方根误差下降了3.5%。可见,结合Sentinel-2的纹理信息有助于提高作物茬覆盖度的估算精度。     

哨兵1号和高分三号SAR数据海浪谱反演精度评估

Ocean wave is one of the important marine dynamic phenomenon that affect human activities. At present, the main observation means include buoy observation, marine numerical prediction model, and microwave remote sensing observation. However, we cannot conduct large-scale observation by buoy, and the marine numerical prediction model’s result is not measured data. Spectrometers and altimeters in microwave remote sensing instruments can also measure spectral parameters. However, SAR, which has a higher resolution, can provide 2D sea surface information. The Sentinel-1 satellite of ESA and GF-3 satellite independently developed by China are now in orbit, and numerous teams are working to retrieve wave parameters from SAR data of these two satellites. In this work, we compared the wave parameter inversion accuracy of Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometric Wide Swath model and GF-3 SAR strip model based on wave spectrum, which provides a reference for the wide application of GF-3 SAR data. The sea states according to the ERA-5 data of ECMWF are divided into three categories: low, moderate, and high sea states. The sea areas of Hormuz and Malacca Straits of the maritime Silk Road in the Indian Ocean and the coastal waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean are selected as the study areas. Meanwhile, the SAR data of Sentinel-1 and GF-3 satellites under different sea states are selected as the data source. The MPI method is used to retrieve the wave spectrum and wave parameters using the E spectrum as the initial guess. Subsequently, the SAR data inversion results of the two satellites under different sea states are compared with the ERA-5 and buoy wave data. The inversion accuracy of the wave parameters can be verified by calculating the values of the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Scatter Index (SI), and the inversion accuracy of the wave parameters of the two satellites under different sea conditions can be compared. The RMSEs of significant wave height (Hs) retrieved by GF-3 SAR under low, moderate, and high sea conditions are 0.30, 0.34, and 0.48 m, and those of mean wave period (Tm) are 1.02, 0.99, and 0.95 s, respectively, compared with the ERA-5 data. In addition, the RMSE of Hs retrieved by Sentinel-1 SAR under low, moderate, and high sea conditions are 0.30, 0.29, and 0.33 m, respectively, and the RMSEs of Tm are 0.94, 0.51, and 0.64 s, respectively. The RMSEs of Hs and Tm under different sea conditions retrieved by GF-3 SAR are 0.38 m and 0.99 s, and those of Hs and Tm retrieved by Sentinel-1 SAR are 0.31 m and 0.70 s, respectively, compared with the ERA-5 data. The RMSEs of the retrieved Hs and Tm of GF-3 satellite are 0.42 m and 0.94 s, and those of the retrieved Hs and Tm of Sentinel-1 are 0.40 m and 0.91 s, respectively, compared with the buoy data. The SAR wave parameter inversion of Sentinel-1 and GF-3 SAR based on the wave spectrum shows that the inversion results of the two satellites meet the index requirements in this field, and the accuracy of the inversion results of wave spectrum is the same. The strip mode SAR data of GF-3 satellite, China’s first self-developed SAR satellite, has broad prospects in marine research fields. © 2023 National Remote Sensing Bulletin. All rights reserved.     

Estimating mineral content of indigenous browse species using laboratory spectroscopy and sentinel-2 imagery

Trees provide low-cost organic inputs, with the potential to improve livelihoods for rural communities. Understanding foliar nutrients of tree species is crucial for integration of trees into agroecosystems. The study explored nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) concentrations of nine browse species collected from the bushveld region of South Africa using wet analysis and laboratory spectroscopy in the region 400–2500 nm, along with partial least squares (PLS) regression. We further explore the relationship between canopy reflectance of Sentinel-2 image and foliar N, P, K & Ca. Laboratory spectroscopy was significant for N estimation, while satellite imagery also revealed useful information about the estimation of nitrogen at landscape level. Nitrogen was highly correlated with spectral reflectance (R² = 0.72, p < 0.05) for winter and (R² = 0.88, p < 0.05) for summer, whilst prediction of phosphorus potassium and calcium were considered not accurate enough to be of practical use. Modelling the relationship using Sentinel-2 data showed lower correlations for nitrogen (R² = 0.44, p < 0.05) and the other nutrients when compared to the dried samples. The findings indicate that there is potential to assess and monitor resource quality of indigenous trees using nitrogen as key indicator. This multi-level remote sensing approach has promise for providing rapid plant nutrient analyses at different scales.