Integration of multi-temporal spectral and structural information to map wetland vegetation in a brackish Connecticut marsh
Abstract
This study utilizes multitemporal QuickBird and single date LiDar canopy height data to classify the common plant communities of a tidal marsh at the mouth of the Connecticut River. A specific goal was to map the expanding distribution of non-native Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud (common reed), which has been outcompeting native species, particularly in disturbed marshes. P. australis spreads vigorously, forming dense monocultures that result in reduced biodiversity of plant, avian and macroinvertebrate species. We collected visible to near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra of the dominant plant species S. patens (salt meadow grass), Typha spp. (cattail), and P. australis over two growing seasons to develop metrics that maximize phenological spectral and canopy height variability to distinguish these plants within a complex marsh community containing >100 plant species. Relative to other species, P. australis is best distinguished by its high NIR response and height late in the growing season. Typha spp. was well distinguished from other species by its high red/green ratio and S. patens by a unique green/blue ratio and low heights throughout the growing season. The field spectra and LiDar-derived heights were used to guide an object-oriented classification methodology using multitemporal QuickBird data collected over the same time interval as the field spectra. The classification was validated using a field inventory of marsh vegetation. Overall maximum fuzzy accuracy for the classification was 97% for Phragmites, 63% for Typha spp. and 80% for S. patens meadows; this improved to 97%, 76%, and 92%, respectively, using a fuzzy acceptable match measure. Image acquisition timing was critical for the identification of targeted plant species in this heterogeneous marsh. These datasets and protocols may provide coastal resource managers, municipal officials and researchers a set of recommended guidelines for remote sensing data collection for marsh inventory and monitoring.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFM.B33D..07G
- Keywords:
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- 0410 Biodiversity;
- 0442 Estuarine and nearshore processes (4235);
- 0452 Instruments and techniques;
- 0480 Remote sensing;
- 0497 Wetlands (1890)