Space-time soil wetness variations monitoring by a multi-temporal microwave satellite records analysis

In the last few years, remote sensing observations have become a useful tool for providing hydrological information, including the quantification of the main physical characteristics of the catchment, such as topography and land use, and of its variables, like soil moisture or snow cover. Moreover, satellite data have also been largely used in the framework of hydro-meteorological risk mitigation.Recently, an innovative Soil Wetness Variation Index (SWVI) has been proposed, using data acquired by the microwave radiometer AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit) which flies aboard NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellites.SWVI is based on a general approach for multi-temporal satellite data analysis (RAT - Robust AVHRR Techniques). This approach exploits the analysis of long-term multi-temporal satellite records in order to obtain a former characterization of the measured signal, in term of expected value and natural variability, providing a further identification of signal anomalies by an automatic, unsupervised change-detection step. Such an approach has already demonstrated, in several studies carried out on extreme flooding events which occurred in Europe in the past few years, its capability in reducing spurious effects generated by natural/observational noise. In this paper, the proposed approach is applied to the analysis of the flooding event which occurred in Europe (primarily in NW Spain) in June 2000. Results obtained, in terms of reliability as well as efficiency in space-time monitoring of soil wetness variation, are presented. Future prospects, in terms of exportability of the methodology on the new dedicated satellite missions, like ESA-SMOS and NASA-HYDROS, are also discussed.     

Tropical land use land cover mapping in Pará (Brazil) using discriminative Markov random fields and multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data

Remote sensing satellite data offer the unique possibility to map land use land cover transformations by providing spatially explicit information. However, detection of short-term processes and land use patterns of high spatial–temporal variability is a challenging task.We present a novel framework using multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data and machine learning techniques, namely discriminative Markov random fields with spatio-temporal priors, and import vector machines, in order to advance the mapping of land cover characterized by short-term changes. Our study region covers a current deforestation frontier in the Brazilian state Pará with land cover dominated by primary forests, different types of pasture land and secondary vegetation, and land use dominated by short-term processes such as slash-and-burn activities. The data set comprises multi-temporal TerraSAR-X imagery acquired over the course of the 2014 dry season, as well as optical data (RapidEye, Landsat) for reference. Results show that land use land cover is reliably mapped, resulting in spatially adjusted overall accuracies of up to 79% in a five class setting, yet limitations for the differentiation of different pasture types remain.The proposed method is applicable on multi-temporal data sets, and constitutes a feasible approach to map land use land cover in regions that are affected by high-frequent temporal changes.     

Monitoring agricultural cropping patterns across the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin using MODIS-NDVI data

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 16-day composite data product (MOD12Q) was used to develop annual cropland and crop-specific map products (corn, soybeans, and wheat) for the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin (GLB). The crop area distributions and changes in crop rotations were characterized by comparing annual crop map products for 2005, 2006, and 2007. The total acreages for corn and soybeans were relatively balanced for calendar years 2005 (31,462 km² and 31,283 km², respectively) and 2006 (30,766 km² and 30,972 km², respectively). Conversely, corn acreage increased approximately 21% from 2006 to 2007, while soybean and wheat acreage decreased approximately 9% and 21%, respectively. Two-year crop rotational change analyses were conducted for the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 time periods. The large increase in corn acreages for 2007 introduced crop rotation changes across the GLB. Compared to 2005–2006, crop rotation patterns for 2006–2007 resulted in increased corn–corn, soybean–corn, and wheat–corn rotations. The increased corn acreages could have potential negative impacts on nutrient loadings, pesticide exposures, and sediment-mediated habitat degradation. Increased in US corn acreages in 2007 were related to new biofuel mandates, while Canadian increases were attributed to higher world-wide corn prices. Additional study is needed to determine the potential impacts of increases in corn-based ethanol agricultural production on watershed ecosystems and receiving waters.     

Assessing urbanisation effects on rainfall-runoff using a remote sensing supported modelling strategy

This paper aims at developing a methodology for assessing urban dynamics in urban catchments and the related impact on hydrology. Using a multi-temporal remote sensing supported hydrological modelling approach an improved simulation of runoff for urban areas is targeted. A time-series of five medium resolution urban masks and corresponding sub-pixel sealed surface proportions maps was generated from Landsat and SPOT imagery. The consistency of the urban mask and sealed surface proportion time-series was imposed through an urban change trajectory analysis. The physically based rainfall-runoff model WetSpa was successfully adapted for integration of remote sensing derived information of detailed urban land use and sealed surface characteristics.A first scenario compares the original land-use class based approach for hydrological parameterisation with a remote sensing sub-pixel based approach. A second scenario assesses the impact of urban growth on hydrology. Study area is the Tolka River basin in Dublin, Ireland.The grid-based approach of WetSpa enables an optimal use of the spatially distributed properties of remote sensing derived input.Though change trajectory analysis remains little used in urban studies it is shown to be of utmost importance in case of time series analysis. The analysis enabled to assign a rational trajectory to 99% of all pixels. The study showed that consistent remote sensing derived land-use maps are preferred over alternative sources (such as CORINE) to avoid over-estimation errors, interpretation inconsistencies and assure enough spatial detail for urban studies. Scenario 1 reveals that both the class and remote sensing sub-pixel based approaches are able to simulate discharges at the catchment outlet in an equally satisfactory way, but the sub-pixel approach yields considerably higher peak discharges. The result confirms the importance of detailed information on the sealed surface proportion for hydrological simulations in urbanised catchments. In addition a major advantage with respect to hydrological parameterisation using remote sensing is the fact that it is site- and period-specific. Regarding the assessment of the impact of urbanisation (scenario 2) the hydrological simulations revealed that the steady urban growth in the Tolka basin between 1988 and 2006 had a considerable impact on peak discharges. Additionally, the hydrological response is quicker as a result of urbanisation. Spatially distributed surface runoff maps identify the zones with high runoff production.It is evident that this type of information is important for urban water management and decision makers. The results of the remote sensing supported modelling approach do not only indicate increased volumes due to urbanisation, but also identifies the locations where the most relevant impacts took place.     

Change detection in urban areas by object-based analysis and on-the-fly comparison of multi-view ALS data

The use of helicopters as a sensor platform offers flexible fields of application due to adaptable flying speed at low flight levels. Modern helicopters are equipped with radar altimeters, inertial navigation systems (INS), forward-looking cameras and even laser scanners for automatic obstacle avoidance. If the 3D geometry of the terrain is already available, the analysis of airborne laser scanner (ALS) measurements may also be used for terrain-referenced navigation and change detection. In this paper, we present a framework for on-the-fly comparison of current ALS data to given reference data of an urban area. In contrast to classical difference methods, our approach extends the concept of occupancy grids known from robot mapping. However, it does not blur the measured information onto the grid cells. The proposed change detection method applies the Dempster–Shafer theory to identify conflicting evidence along the laser pulse propagation path. Additional attributes are considered to decide whether detected changes are of man-made origin or occurring due to seasonal effects. The concept of online change detection has been successfully validated in offline experiments with recorded ALS data streams. Results are shown for an urban test site at which multi-view ALS data were acquired at an interval of 1 year.     

Multiple time-scale modelling of the circulation in Torres Strait—Australia

Ocean circulation influences nearly all aspects of the marine ecosystem. This study describes the water circulation patterns on time scales from hours to years across Torres Strait and adjacent gulfs and seas, including the north of the Great Barrier Reef. The tridimensional circulation model incorporated realistic atmospheric and oceanographic forcing, including winds, waves, tides, and large-scale regional circulation taken from global model outputs. Simulations covered a hindcast period of 8 years (i.e. 01/03/1997–31/12/2004), allowing the tidal, seasonal, and interannual flow characteristics to be investigated. Results indicated that the most energetic current patterns in Torres Strait were strongly dominated by the barotropic tide and its spring-neap cycle. However, longer-term flow through the strait was mainly controlled by prevailing winds. A dominant westward drift developed in summer over the southeasterly trade winds season, which then weakened and reversed in winter over the northwesterly monsoon winds season. The seasonal flow through Torres Strait was strongly connected to the circulation in the north of the Great Barrier Reef, but showed little connectivity with the coastal circulation in the Gulf of Papua. Interannual variability in Torres Strait was highest during the monsoon period, reflecting variability in wind forcing including the timing of the monsoon. The characteristics of the circulation were also discussed in relation to fine sediment transport. Turbidity level in Torres Strait is expected to peak at the end of the monsoon, while it is likely to be at a low at the end of the trade season, eventually leading to a critically low bottom light level which constitutes a severe risk of seagrass dieback.     

构造应力场转换的成矿地球化学响应

以剪切带型金矿为例,基于对中国东部胶东西北部地区及其典型金矿田、金矿床构造应力场与成矿地球化学场的详细研究结果,初步阐释了它们在多重时-空间尺度上的耦合关系。区域尺度上,应力极值区不利于成矿,金矿床就位于应力梯级带,尤其是不同方向应力梯级带的交汇部位。矿田尺度上,成矿物质有从应力高值区向低值区运移的趋势,成矿主期应力梯度的增大有利于成矿元素进一步浓集,应力梯级的强烈变化地段(或时段)往往形成金属元素的大量堆积。矿床尺度上,成矿物质的运移受不同方向剪应力梯级带的叠加影响,金属元素就位于NE和NW向应力梯级带交汇部位缓坡带一侧的次级梯级带之上。多重时-空尺度成矿动力学的深入研究,将可能揭示出这种非线性效应的丰富内涵。     

基于MODIS数据的水稻种植面积提取研究进展

概述了水稻种植面积监测遥感数据源的应用变化、特征指数和时相选取以及遥感分类方法的发展,分析了MODIS影像在水稻种植面积遥感提取技术方面的研究进展及发展方向。结果表明：MODIS具有高光谱、高时间分辨率、多时相等特点,在大尺度上提取水稻种植面积上,可提高作物识别和监测的精确度与工作效率,节约成本,有着其他遥感数据无法相比的优势,应用MODIS数据提取水稻种植面积,取得了较好的效果。水稻遥感的最佳时相可以选择移栽期和孕穗期,利用对水体和植被较为敏感的波段或植被指数（如NDVI、LSWI和EVI）进行水稻识别,并提取种植面积。传统的遥感图像分类方法如监督分类和非监督分类,算法成熟、操作简单,是目前应用较多的方法;近年来发展起来的分类新方法,如决策树分类法、专家系统分类法、神经网络分类法,支持向量机法等,能够更准确地提取目标地物,对图像分类有不同程度的改进,在实际应用中通常和传统分类方法结合起来使用;多时相分析法与高时间、高分辨率多光谱影像的结合可以获取较高精度的作物种植面积数据,与传统分类方法相比有较大提高。利用MODIS对单一的或大面积的水稻种植面积提取效果较好,但对于地块破碎的种植面积估算尚难达到满意的结果,添加其他的辅佐数据如高程、坡度等,并结合MODIS数据的多时相特点分类等方法,可提高遥感影像分类的精度。     

基于MODIS数据的水稻种植面积提取研究进展

概述了水稻种植面积监测遥感数据源的应用变化、特征指数和时相选取以及遥感分类方法的发展,分析了MODIS影像在水稻种植面积遥感提取技术方面的研究进展及发展方向。结果表明：MODIS具有高光谱、高时间分辨率和多时相等特点,在大尺度上提取水稻种植面积上,可提高作物识别和监测的精确度与工作效率,节约成本,有着其他遥感数据无法相比的优势,应用MODIS数据提取水稻种植面积,取得了较好的效果。水稻遥感的最佳时相可以选择移栽期和孕穗期,利用对水体和植被较为敏感的波段或植被指数（如NDVI、LSWI和EVI）进行水稻识别,并提取种植面积。传统的遥感图像分类方法如监督分类和非监督分类,算法成熟、操作简单,是目前应用较多的方法。近年来发展起来的分类新方法,如决策树分类法、专家系统分类法、神经网络分类法,支持向量机法等,能够更准确地提取目标地物,对图像分类有不同程度的改进,在实际应用中通常和传统分类方法结合起来使用;多时相分析法与高时间、高分辨率多光谱影像的结合可以获取较高精度的作物种植面积数据,与传统分类方法相比有较大提高。利用MODIS对单一的或大面积的水稻种植面积提取效果较好,但对于地块破碎的种植面积估算尚难达到满意的结果,添加其他的辅佐数据如高程、坡度等,并结合MODIS数据的多时相特点分类等方法,可提高遥感影像分类的精度。     

Land cover classification of the North China Plain using MODIS_EVI time series

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data have played an important role in global environmental and resource research. However, its low spatial resolution has been an impediment to researchers pursuing more accurate classification results. In this research, the high temporal resolution of MODIS was employed to improve the accuracy of land cover classification of the North China Plain using MODIS_EVI time series from 2003. Harmonic Analysis of Time Series (HANTS) was performed on the MODIS_EVI image time series to reduce cloud and other noise effects. The improved MODIS_EVI time series was then classified into 100 clusters by the Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technique (ISODATA). To distinguish ambiguous land cover classes, a decision tree was built on five phenological features derived from EVI profiles, Land Surface Temperature (LST) and topographic slope. The overall accuracy of the final land cover map was 75.5%, indicating the promise of using MODIS EVI time series and decision trees for broad area land cover classification.