Spectral matching techniques (SMTs) and automated cropland classification algorithms (ACCAs) for mapping croplands of Australia using MODIS 250-m time-series (2000–2015) data

ABSTRACT

Mapping croplands, including fallow areas, are an important measure to determine the quantity of food that is produced, where they are produced, and when they are produced (e.g. seasonality). Furthermore, croplands are known as water guzzlers by consuming anywhere between 70% and 90% of all human water use globally. Given these facts and the increase in global population to nearly 10 billion by the year 2050, the need for routine, rapid, and automated cropland mapping year-after-year and/or season-after-season is of great importance. The overarching goal of this study was to generate standard and routine cropland products, year-after-year, over very large areas through the use of two novel methods: (a) quantitative spectral matching techniques (QSMTs) applied at continental level and (b) rule-based Automated Cropland Classification Algorithm (ACCA) with the ability to hind-cast, now-cast, and future-cast. Australia was chosen for the study given its extensive croplands, rich history of agriculture, and yet nonexistent routine yearly generated cropland products using multi-temporal remote sensing. This research produced three distinct cropland products using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-m normalized difference vegetation index 16-day composite time-series data for 16 years: 2000 through 2015. The products consisted of: (1) cropland extent/areas versus cropland fallow areas, (2) irrigated versus rainfed croplands, and (3) cropping intensities: single, double, and continuous cropping. An accurate reference cropland product (RCP) for the year 2014 (RCP2014) produced using QSMT was used as a knowledge base to train and develop the ACCA algorithm that was then applied to the MODIS time-series data for the years 2000–2015. A comparison between the ACCA-derived cropland products (ACPs) for the year 2014 (ACP2014) versus RCP2014 provided an overall agreement of 89.4% (kappa?=?0.814) with six classes: (a) producer’s accuracies varying between 72% and 90% and (b) user’s accuracies varying between 79% and 90%. ACPs for the individual years 2000–2013 and 2015 (ACP2000–ACP2013, ACP2015) showed very strong similarities with several other studies. The extent and vigor of the Australian croplands versus cropland fallows were accurately captured by the ACCA algorithm for the years 2000–2015, thus highlighting the value of the study in food security analysis. The ACCA algorithm and the cropland products are released through http://croplands.org/app/map and http://geography.wr.usgs.gov/science/croplands/algorithms/australia_250m.html     

Mapping rice-fallow cropland areas for short-season grain legumes intensification in South Asia using MODIS 250 m time-series data

The goal of this study was to map rainfed and irrigated rice-fallow cropland areas across South Asia, using MODIS 250?m time-series data and identify where the farming system may be intensified by the inclusion of a short-season crop during the fallow period. Rice-fallow cropland areas are those areas where rice is grown during the kharif growing season (June–October), followed by a fallow during the rabi season (November–February). These cropland areas are not suitable for growing rabi-season rice due to their high water needs, but are suitable for a short -season (≤3 months), low water-consuming grain legumes such as chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), black gram, green gram, and lentils. Intensification (double-cropping) in this manner can improve smallholder farmer’s incomes and soil health via rich nitrogen-fixation legume crops as well as address food security challenges of ballooning populations without having to expand croplands. Several grain legumes, primarily chickpea, are increasingly grown across Asia as a source of income for smallholder farmers and at the same time providing rich and cheap source of protein that can improve the nutritional quality of diets in the region. The suitability of rainfed and irrigated rice-fallow croplands for grain legume cultivation across South Asia were defined by these identifiers: (a) rice crop is grown during the primary (kharif) crop growing season or during the north-west monsoon season (June–October); (b) same croplands are left fallow during the second (rabi) season or during the south-east monsoon season (November–February); and (c) ability to support low water-consuming, short-growing season (≤3 months) grain legumes (chickpea, black gram, green gram, and lentils) during rabi season. Existing irrigated or rainfed crops such as rice or wheat that were grown during kharif were not considered suitable for growing during the rabi season, because the moisture/water demand of these crops is too high. The study established cropland classes based on the every 16-day 250?m normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series for one year (June 2010–May 2011) of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, using spectral matching techniques (SMTs), and extensive field knowledge. Map accuracy was evaluated based on independent ground survey data as well as compared with available sub-national level statistics. The producers’ and users’ accuracies of the cropland fallow classes were between 75% and 82%. The overall accuracy and the kappa coefficient estimated for rice classes were 82% and 0.79, respectively. The analysis estimated approximately 22.3?Mha of suitable rice-fallow areas in South Asia, with 88.3% in India, 0.5% in Pakistan, 1.1% in Sri Lanka, 8.7% in Bangladesh, 1.4% in Nepal, and 0.02% in Bhutan. Decision-makers can target these areas for sustainable intensification of short-duration grain legumes.     

Mapping cropland fallow areas in myanmar to scale up sustainable intensification of pulse crops in the farming system

Cropland fallows are the next best-bet for intensification and extensification, leading to increased food production and adding to the nutritional basket. The agronomical suitability of these lands can decide the extent of usage of these lands. Myanmar’s agricultural land (over 13.8 Mha) has the potential to expand by another 50% into additional fallow areas. These areas may be used to grow short-duration pulses, which are economically important and nutritionally rich, and constitute the diets of millions of people as well as provide an important source of livestock feed throughout Asia. Intensifying rice fallows will not only improve the productivity of the land but also increase the income of the smallholder farmers. The enhanced cultivation of pulses will help improve nutritional security in Myanmar and also help conserve natural resources and reduce environmental degradation. The objectives of this study was to use remote sensing methods to identify croplands in Myanmar and cropland fallow areas in two important agro-ecological regions, delta and coastal region and the dry zone. The study used moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-m, 16-day normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) maximum value composite (MVC), and land surface water index (LSWI) for one 1 year (1 June 2012–31 May 2013) along with seasonal field-plot level information and spectral matching techniques to derive croplands versus cropland fallows for each of the three seasons: the monsoon period between June and October; winter period between November and February; and summer period between March and May. The study showed that Myanmar had total net cropland area (TNCA) of 13.8 Mha. Cropland fallows during the monsoon season account for a meagre 2.4% of TNCA. However, in the winter season, 56.5% of TNCA (or 7.8 Mha) were classified as cropland fallows and during the summer season, 82.7% of TNCA (11.4 Mha) were cropland fallows. The producer’s accuracy of the cropland fallow class varied between 92 and 98% (errors of omission of 2 to 8%) and user’s accuracy varied between 82 and 92% (errors of commission of 8 to 18%) for winter and summer, respectively. Overall, the study estimated 19.2 Mha cropland fallows from the two major seasons (winter and summer). Out of this, 10.08 Mha has sufficient moisture (either from rainfall or stored soil water content) to grow short-season pulse crops. This potential with an estimated income of US$ 300 per hectare, if exploited sustainably, is estimated to bring an additional net income of about US$ 1.5 billion to Myanmar per year if at least half (5.04 Mha) of the total cropland fallows (10.08 Mha) is covered with short season pulses.     

Global rain-fed,irrigated, and paddy croplands: A new high resolution map derived from remote sensing,crop inventories and climate data

Irrigation accounts for 70% of global water use by humans and 33–40% of global food production comes from irrigated croplands. Accurate and timely information related to global irrigation is therefore needed to manage increasingly scarce water resources and to improve food security in the face of yield gaps, climate change and extreme events such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. Unfortunately, this information is not available for many regions of the world. This study aims to improve characterization of global rain-fed, irrigated and paddy croplands by integrating information from national and sub-national surveys, remote sensing, and gridded climate data sets. To achieve this goal, we used supervised classification of remote sensing, climate, and agricultural inventory data to generate a global map of irrigated, rain-fed, and paddy croplands. We estimate that 314 million hectares (Mha) worldwide were irrigated circa 2005. This includes 66 Mha of irrigated paddy cropland and 249 Mha of irrigated non-paddy cropland. Additionally, we estimate that 1047 Mha of cropland are managed under rain-fed conditions, including 63 Mha of rain-fed paddy cropland and 985 Mha of rain-fed non-paddy cropland. More generally, our results show that global mapping of irrigated, rain-fed, and paddy croplands is possible by combining information from multiple data sources. However, regions with rapidly changing irrigation or complex mixtures of irrigated and non-irrigated crops present significant challenges and require more and better data to support high quality mapping of irrigation.     

Agricultural cropland mapping using black-and-white aerial photography,Object-Based Image Analysis and Random Forests

Land-use and land-cover (LULC) conversions have an important impact on land degradation, erosion and water availability. Information on historical land cover (change) is crucial for studying and modelling land- and ecosystem degradation. During the past decades major LULC conversions occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America as a consequence of a growing population and economy. Most distinct is the conversion of natural vegetation into cropland. Historical LULC information can be derived from satellite imagery, but these only date back until approximately 1972. Before the emergence of satellite imagery, landscapes were monitored by black-and-white (B&W) aerial photography. This photography is often visually interpreted, which is a very time-consuming approach. This study presents an innovative, semi-automated method to map cropland acreage from B&W photography. Cropland acreage was mapped on two study sites in Ethiopia and in The Netherlands. For this purpose we used Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) and a Random Forest classification on a set of variables comprising texture, shape, slope, neighbour and spectral information. Overall mapping accuracies attained are 90% and 96% for the two study areas respectively. This mapping method increases the timeline at which historical cropland expansion can be mapped purely from brightness information in B&W photography up to the 1930s, which is beneficial for regions where historical land-use statistics are mostly absent.     

Effect of topographic correction on forest change detection using spectral trend analysis of Landsat pixel-based composites

Pixel-based image compositing enables production of large-area surface reflectance images that are largely devoid of clouds, cloud shadows, or haze. Change detection with spectral trend analysis uses a dense time series of images, such as pixel-based composites, to quantify the year, amount, and magnitude of landscape changes. Topographically-related shadows found in mountainous terrain may confound trend-based forest change detection approaches. In this study, we evaluate the impact of topographic correction on trend-based forest change detection outcomes by comparing the amount and location of changes identified on an image composite with and without a topographic correction. Moreover, we evaluated two different approaches to topographic correction that are relevant to pixel-based image composites: the first corrects each pixel according to the day of year (DOY) the pixel was acquired, whilst the second corrects all pixels to a single reference date (August 1st), which was also the target date for generating the pixel-based image composite. Our results indicate that a greater area of change is detected when no topographic correction is applied to the image composite, however, the difference in change area detected between no correction and either the DOY or the August 1st correction is minor and less than 1% (0.54–0.85%). The spatial correspondence of these different approaches is 96.2% for the DOY correction and 97.7% for the August 1st correction. The largest differences between the correction processes occur in valleys (0.71–1.14%), upper slopes (0.71–1.09%), and ridges (0.73–1.09%). While additional tests under different conditions and in other environments are encouraged, our results indicate that topographic correction may not be justified in change detection routines computing spectral trends from pixel-based composites.     

Estimating tree canopy cover using harmonic regression coefficients derived from multitemporal Landsat data

The goal of this study was to evaluate whether harmonic regression coefficients derived using all available cloud-free observations in a given Landsat pixel for a three-year period can be used to estimate tree canopy cover (TCC), and whether models developed using harmonic regression coefficients as predictor variables are better than models developed using median composite predictor variables, the previous operational standard for the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The two study areas in the conterminous USA were as follows: West (Oregon), bounded by Landsat Worldwide Reference System 2 (WRS-2) paths/rows 43/30, 44/30, and 45/30; and South (Georgia/South Carolina), bounded by WRS-2 paths/rows 16/37, 17/37, and 18/37. Plot-specific tree canopy cover (the response variable) was collected by experienced interpreters using a dot grid overlaid on 1 m spatial resolution National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) images at two different times per region, circa 2010 and circa 2014. Random forest model comparisons (using 500 independent model runs for each comparison) revealed the following (1) harmonic regression coefficients (one harmonic) are better predictors for every time/region of TCC than median composite focal means and standard deviations (across times/regions, mean increase in pseudo R² of 6.7% and mean decrease in RMSE of 1.7% TCC) and (2) harmonic regression coefficients (one harmonic, from NDVI, SWIR1, and SWIR2), when added to the full suite of median composite and terrain variables used for the NLCD 2011 product, improve the quality of TCC models for every time/region (mean increase in pseudo R² of 3.6% and mean decrease in RMSE of 1.0% TCC). The harmonic regression NDVI constant was always one of the top four most important predictors across times/regions, and is more correlated with TCC than the NDVI median composite focal mean. Eigen analysis revealed that there is little to no additional information in the full suite of predictor variables (47 bands) when compared to the harmonic regression coefficients alone (using NDVI, SWIR1, and SWIR2; 9 bands), a finding echoed by both model fit statistics and the resulting maps. We conclude that harmonic regression coefficients derived from Landsat (or, by extension, other comparable earth resource satellite data) can be used to map TCC, either alone or in combination with other TCC-related variables.     

Estimating crop net primary production using national inventory data and MODIS-derived parameters

National estimates of spatially-resolved cropland net primary production (NPP) are needed for diagnostic and prognostic modeling of carbon sources, sinks, and net carbon flux between land and atmosphere. Cropland NPP estimates that correspond with existing cropland cover maps are needed to drive biogeochemical models at the local scale as well as national and continental scales. Existing satellite-based NPP products tend to underestimate NPP on croplands. An Agricultural Inventory-based Light Use Efficiency (AgI-LUE) framework was developed to estimate individual crop biophysical parameters for use in estimating crop-specific NPP over large multi-state regions. The method is documented here and evaluated for corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) in Iowa and Illinois in 2006 and 2007. The method includes a crop-specific Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), shortwave radiation data estimated using the Mountain Climate Simulator (MTCLIM) algorithm, and crop-specific LUE per county. The combined aforementioned variables were used to generate spatially-resolved, crop-specific NPP that corresponds to the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) land cover product. Results from the modeling framework captured the spatial NPP gradient across croplands of Iowa and Illinois, and also represented the difference in NPP between years 2006 and 2007. Average corn and soybean NPP from AgI-LUE was 917 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ and 409 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. This was 2.4 and 1.1 times higher, respectively, for corn and soybean compared to the MOD17A3 NPP product. Site comparisons with flux tower data show AgI-LUE NPP in close agreement with tower-derived NPP, lower than inventory-based NPP, and higher than MOD17A3 NPP. The combination of new inputs and improved datasets enabled the development of spatially explicit and reliable NPP estimates for individual crops over large regional extents.     

Differences between cropland and rangeland MODIS phenology (start-of-season) in Mali

Start-of-season data are more and more used to qualify the land surface phenology trends in relation with climate variability and, more rarely, with human land management. In this paper, we compared the phenology of rangeland vs cropped land in the Sahel belt of Africa, using the only currently available global phenology product (MODIS MCD12Q2 – Land Cover Dynamics Yearly), and an enhanced crop mask of Mali. The differences in terms of start-of-season (SOS) are spatially (north south gradient), and temporally (10 years, 2001–2009) analyzed in bioclimatic terms. Our results show that globally the MODIS MCD12Q2 SOS dates of croplands and rangelands differ, and that these differences depend on the bioclimatic zone. In Sahelian and Guinean regions, cropland vegetation begins to grow earlier than rangeland vegetation (8-day and 4-day advance, respectively). Between, in the Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian parts of Mali, rangeland vegetation greens about one week earlier than croplands. These results are discussed in the context of the land surface heterogeneity at MODIS scale, and in the context of the natural vegetation ecology. These results could help interpreting phenological trends in climate change analysis.     

Analyzing multi-year rice-fallow dynamics in Odisha using multi-temporal Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-1 Data

ABSTRACT

Sustainable intensification of existing cropland is one of the most viable options for meeting the escalating food demands of the ever-increasing population in the world. Accurate geospatial data about the potential single-crop (rice-fallows) areas is vital for policymakers to target the agro-technologies for enhancing crop productivity and intensification. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate and understand the dynamics of rice-fallows in the Odisha state of India, using SAR (Sentinel-1) and Optical (Landsat OLI) datasets. This study utilized a decision-tree approach and Principal component analysis (PCA) for the segmentation and separation of different vegetation classes. The estimated overall accuracy of extracted rice-fallow maps was in the range of 84 to 85 percent. The study identified about 2.2, 2.0 and 2.1mha of Rice-Fallows in the years 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18, respectively. The combined analysis (all three years) of rice-fallow maps identified about 1.34mha of permanent rice-fallows, whereas the remaining 0.6–0.8mha area was under the current-fallow category. About 50% of the total permanent rice-fallows were detected in the rainfed areas of Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Baleswar, Nawarangpur and Bargarh districts. The study also illustrated the time-series profiles of SMAP (soil moisture) datasets for the ten agroclimatic zones of the Odisha, which can be utilized (along with rice-fallow maps) for the selection of crop and cultivars (e.g. short or medium duration pulses or oilseeds) to target the rice fallows. The approach utilized in the current study can be scaled up in similar areas of South and South-east Asia and Africa to identify single-crop areas for targeting improved technologies for enhanced crop productivity and intensification.     

Understanding long-term (1982–2013) patterns and trends in winter wheat spring green-up date over the North China Plain

Monitoring the spring green-up date (GUD) has grown in importance for crop management and food security. However, most satellite-based GUD models are associated with a high degree of uncertainty when applied to croplands. In this study, we introduced an improved GUD algorithm to extract GUD data for 32 years (1982–2013) for the winter wheat croplands on the North China Plain (NCP), using the third-generation normalized difference vegetation index form Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS3g NDVI). The spatial and temporal variations in GUD with the effects of the pre-season climate and soil moisture conditions on GUD were comprehensively investigated. Our results showed that a higher correlation coefficient (r = 0.44, p < 0.01) and lower root mean square error (22 days) and bias (16 days) were observed in GUD from the improved algorithm relative to GUD from the MCD12Q2 phenology product. In spatial terms, GUD increased from the southwest (less than day of year (DOY) 60) to the northeast (more than DOY 90) of the NCP, which corresponded to spatial reductions in temperature and precipitation. GUD advanced in most (78%) of the winter wheat area on the NCP, with significant advances in 37.8% of the area (p < 0.05). GUD occurred later at high altitudes and in coastal areas than in inland areas. At the interannual scale, the average GUD advanced from DOY 76.9 in the 1980s (average 1982–1989) to DOY 73.2 in the 1990s (average 1991–1999), and to DOY 70.3 after 2000 (average 2000–2013), indicating an average advance of 1.8 days/decade (r = 0.35, p < 0.05). Although GUD is mainly controlled by the pre-season temperature, our findings underline that the effect of the pre-season soil moisture on GUD should also be considered. The improved GUD algorithm and satellite-based long-term GUD data are helpful for improving the representation of GUD in terrestrial ecosystem models and enhancing crop management efficiency.     

Sensitivity of spectral reflectance values to different burn and vegetation ratios: A multi-scale approach applied in a fire affected area

The aim of our study was to explore the spectral properties of fire-scorched (burned) and non fire-scorched (vegetation) areas, as well as areas with different burn/vegetation ratios, using a multisource multiresolution satellite data set. A case study was undertaken following a very destructive wildfire that occurred in Parnitha, Greece, July 2007, for which we acquired satellite images from LANDSAT, ASTER, and IKONOS. Additionally, we created spatially degraded satellite data over a range of coarser resolutions using resampling techniques. The panchromatic (1 m) and multispectral component (4 m) of IKONOS were merged using the Gram-Schmidt spectral sharpening method. This very high-resolution imagery served as the basis to estimate the cover percentage of burned areas, bare land and vegetation at pixel level, by applying the maximum likelihood classification algorithm. Finally, multiple linear regression models were fit to estimate each land-cover fraction as a function of surface reflectance values of the original and the spatially degraded satellite images.The main findings of our research were: (a) the Near Infrared (NIR) and Short-wave Infrared (SWIR) are the most important channels to estimate the percentage of burned area, whereas the NIR and red channels are the most important to estimate the percentage of vegetation in fire-affected areas; (b) when the bi-spectral space consists only of NIR and SWIR, then the NIR ground reflectance value plays a more significant role in estimating the percent of burned areas, and the SWIR appears to be more important in estimating the percent of vegetation; and (c) semi-burned areas comprising 45–55% burned area and 45–55% vegetation are spectrally closer to burned areas in the NIR channel, whereas those areas are spectrally closer to vegetation in the SWIR channel. These findings, at least partially, are attributed to the fact that: (i) completely burned pixels present low variance in the NIR and high variance in the SWIR, whereas the opposite is observed in completely vegetated areas where higher variance is observed in the NIR and lower variance in the SWIR, and (ii) bare land modifies the spectral signal of burned areas more than the spectral signal of vegetated areas in the NIR, while the opposite is observed in SWIR region of the spectrum where the bare land modifies the spectral signal of vegetation more than the burned areas because the bare land and the vegetation are spectrally more similar in the NIR, and the bare land and burned areas are spectrally more similar in the SWIR.     

Integration of remote sensing,county-level census,and machine learning for century-long regional cropland distribution data reconstruction

The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) was home to about ten million hectare bottomland hardwood (BLH) forests in the Southern U.S. It experienced over 80 % area loss of the BLH forests in the past centuries and large-scale afforestation in recent decades. Due to the lack of a high-resolution cropland dataset, impacts of land use change (LUC) on the LMAV ecosystem services have not been fully understood. In this study, we developed a novel framework by integrating the machine learning algorithm, county-level agricultural census, and satellite-based cropland products to reconstruct the LMAV cropland distribution during 1850–2018 at a 30-m resolution. Results showed that the LMAV cropland area increased from 0.78 × 10⁴ km² in 1850 to 6.64 × 10⁴ km² in 1980 and then decreased to 6.16 × 10⁴ km² in 2018. Cropland expansion rate was the largest in the 1960s (749 km² yr⁻¹) but decreased rapidly thereafter, whereas cropland abandonment rate increased substantially in recent decades with the largest rate of 514 km² yr⁻¹ in the 2010s. Our dataset has three notable features: (1) the depiction of fine spatial details, (2) the integration of the county-level census, and (3) the inclusion of a machine-learning algorithm trained by satellite-based land cover product. Most importantly, our dataset well captured the continuous increasing trend in cropland area from 1930–1960, which was misrepresented by other cropland datasets reconstructed from the state-level census. Our dataset would be important to accurately evaluate the impacts of historical deforestation and recent afforestation efforts on regional ecosystem services, attribute the observed hydrological changes to anthropogenic and natural driving factors, and investigate how the socioeconomic factors control regional LUC pattern. Our framework and dataset are crucial to developing managerial and policy strategies for conserving natural resources and enhancing ecosystem services in the LMAV.     

Automated lithological mapping by integrating spectral enhancement techniques and machine learning algorithms using AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral data in Gold-bearing granite-greenstone rocks in Hutti,India

In this study, we proposed an automated lithological mapping approach by using spectral enhancement techniques and Machine Learning Algorithms (MLAs) using Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) hyperspectral data in the greenstone belt of the Hutti area, India. We integrated spectral enhancement techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) transformation and different MLAs for an accurate mapping of rock types. A conjugate utilization of conventional geological map and spectral enhancement products derived from ASTER data were used for the preparation of a high-resolution reference lithology map. Feature selection and extraction methods were applied on the AVIRIS-NG data to derive different input dataset such as (a) all spectral bands, (b) shortwave infrared bands, (c) Joint Mutual Information Maximization (JMIM) based optimum bands, and (d) optimum bands using PCA, to choose optimum input dataset for automated lithological mapping. The comparative analysis of different MLAs shows that the Support Vector Machine (SVM) outperforms other Machine Learning (ML) models. The SVM achieved an Overall Accuracy (OA) and Kappa Coefficient (k) of 85.48% and 0.83, respectively, using JMIM based optimum bands. The JMIM based optimum bands were more suitable than other input datasets to classify most of the lithological units (i.e. metabasalt, amphibolite, granite, acidic intrusive and migmatite) within the study area . The sensitivity analysis performed in this study illustrates that the SVM is less sensitive to the number of samples and mislabeling in the model training than other MLAs. The obtained high-resolution classified map with accurate litho-contacts of amphibolite, metabasalt, and granite can be coupled with an alteration map of the area for targeting the potential zone of gold mineralization.     

Keeping it simple: Monitoring flood extent in large data-poor wetlands using MODIS SWIR data

Characterising inundation conditions for flood-pulsed wetlands is a critical first step towards assessment of flood risk as well as towards understanding hydrological dynamics that underlay their ecology and functioning. In this paper, we develop a series of inundation maps for the Okavango Delta, Botswana, based on the thresholding of the SWIR band (b7) MODIS MCD43A4 product. We show that in the Okavango Delta, SWIR is superior to other spectral bands or derived indices, and illustrate an innovative way of defining the spectral threshold used to separate inundated from dry land. The threshold is determined dynamically for each scene based on reflectances of training areas capturing end-members of the inundation spectrum. The method provides a very good accuracy and is suitable for automated processing.     

Earth observations for sustainable development goals monitoring based on essential variables and driver-pressure-state-impact-response indicators

ABSTRACT

In recent years, researchers of different communities have increased their efforts in formalizing a set of measurements regularly collected for analysing changes in Drivers, States, Impacts and Responses of a given discipline. In some cases, different actors have converged in a minimum set of Essential Variables (EVs), such as for Climate, Biodiversity or Oceans. The definition of such EVs is an ongoing evolution and in extension (e.g. EVs for water) although some communities have not even started (e.g. agriculture and energy). This paper characterizes the Earth Observation (EO) networks and creates a graph representation of their relations. Secondly, this graph is enriched with the EVs produced by each network creating a knowledge base. Finally, an effort has been done to identify links between EVs and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators in a way that they indirectly connect the EO. An analysis to detect gaps in EO variables due to a lack of observational networks is performed. Several suggestions for improving SDG indicators framework by considering EVs are exposed, as well as proposing new necessary EVs and suggesting new EO based indicators. The complete graph is available in the ENEON website (http://www.eneon.net/graph-ev-sdg/).     

Impact of aerosols on terrestrial gross primary productivity in North China using an improved boreal ecosystem productivity simulator with satellite-based aerosol optical depth

ABSTRACT

Atmospheric aerosols can alter the direct and diffuse components of global solar radiation, which further influences terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) via photosynthesis. To investigate the impact of aerosols on GPP, GPP is modeled using the Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS) under two aerosol scenarios (S1& S2) over cropland and grassland ecosystems in the highly polluted North China. In S1, the aerosol-effect is not considered and an original empirical method is used when estimating direct and diffuse solar radiation in BEPS. In S2, BEPS is improved by a new empirical method which incorporates the impact of aerosols using the remote sensing-based aerosol optical depth (AOD). Results suggest that aerosols can reduce GPP of the sunlit leaves by decreasing direct solar radiation, but increase GPP of the shaded leaves by increasing diffuse solar radiation. The impact of aerosols on GPP is more significant over the cropland ecosystem (p < 0.05) with a more complex canopy structure during the peak period of the growing season. Furthermore, an AOD value of 0.3–0.6 with a diffuse fraction (the fraction of diffuse solar radiation in global solar radiation) around 30-40% can largely increase total GPP over the cropland ecosystem. The study improves the accuracy of GPP modeling using BEPS by highlighting the aerosol-effect on GPP via solar radiation over highly polluted regions.

Abbreviations: gross primary productivity (GPP); aerosol optical depth (AOD); boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS)     

Study of high temperature targets identification and temperature retrieval experimental model in SWIR remote sensing based Landsat8

For surface features in short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1.3–3.0 μm) in remote sensing imagery, pixel values depict the total energy including reflection and emission. For surface features at normal temperature in SWIR band, emission energy can be ignored. While for surface features at high temperature in SWIR band, emission energy is equal to or even higher than the reflection energy. So remote sensing imagery of SWIR band can be used to separate emission and reflection energy as well as to realize temperature retrieval of high temperature targets. In this study, the seventh band (SWIR band) of Landsat8 OLI remote sensing imagery is used to perform the theoretical model research for temperature retrieval of high temperature targets. In the meantime, it is also used with the corresponding observation experiment of synchronization satellite to check the theoretical model. The result shows that the radiant flux density for mixed pixels with high temperature targets is higher than adjacent pixels without high temperature targets. Thus, the high temperature pixels can be identified in SWIR band. The retrieval results of temperature and fractional area for high temperature targets are consistent with reality. In the study, the result illustrates that it is effective to identify high temperature targets in remote sensing imagery of SWIR band and the model is appropriate for temperature retrieval use.     

Quantifying spatiotemporal dynamics of agricultural landscapes using remotely sensed data and landscape metrics

This study focuses on the spatiotemporal dynamics of agricultural lands and differences in rapidly developing urban and declining rural counties in Iowa, USA between 1984 and 2000. The study presents an analysis of land-cover maps derived from Landsat TM and ETM+ satellite imagery and different landscape metrics using FRAGSTATS and IDRISI software. The study provides evidence of both loss of croplands and change in fragmentation between 1984 and 2000. Fragmentation in agriculture-dominated areas increased with the development of urban centres and diversification of land uses. Fragmentation of landscapes, including agricultural land, was found to be higher in the urbanized counties, but was stable or even declined over time in these counties. In contrast, in the context of remote rural areas, agricultural landscapes experienced rapid increase in fragmentation and farmland loss. The urban–rural gradient analysis used in this study showed that the highest fragmentation occurred on the city edges. These findings suggest that farmland fragmentation is a complex process associated with socio-economic trends at regional and local scales. In addition, socio-economic determinants of landscape fragmentation differ between areas with diverging development trajectories. Intensive cropland fragmentation in remote agricultural regions, detected by this research, should be further studied and its possible effects on both agricultural productivity and biodiversity should be carefully considered.