Monitoring urban growth and detecting land-cover changes on the Istanbul metropolitan area

Istanbul is the most populated city of Turkey with a population of around 10.58 M (2000) living on around 5,750 km². In 1980, the population was only 4.7 M and then it has been more than doubled in only two decades. The population has been increasing as a result of mass immigration. An urbanization process continues and it causes serious increases in urban areas while decreasing the amount of green areas. This rapid, uncontrolled, and illegal urbanization accompanied by insufficient infrastructure has caused degradation of forest and barren lands in the metropolitan area, especially through the last two decades. The watershed basins inside the metropolitan area and the transportation network have accelerated the land-cover changes, which have negative impacts on water quality of the basins. Monitoring urban growth and land cover change will enable better management of this complex urban area by the Greater Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (GIMM). A temporal assessment of land-cover changes of Istanbul has been documented in this study. The study mainly focuses on the acquisition and analysis of Landsat TM and Landsat GeoCover LC satellite images reflecting the significant land-cover changes between the years of 1990 and 2005. Raster data were converted to vector data and used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A database was created for Istanbul metropolitan area to plan, manage, and utilize statistical attribute data covering population, water, forest, industry, and topographic position. Consequently an overlay analysis was carried out and land use/cover changes through years have been detected for the case study area. The capability of Landsat images in determining the alterations in the macro form of the city are also discussed.     

The Impact of Landsat Satellite Monitoring on Conservation Biology

Landsat 7s recent malfunctioning will result in significant gaps in long-term satellite monitoring of Earth, affecting not only the research of the Earth science community but also conservation users of these data. To determine whether or how important Landsat monitoring is for conservation and natural resource management, we reviewed the Landsat programs history with special emphasis on the development of user groups. We also conducted a bibliographic search to determine the extent to which conservation research has been based on Landsat data. Conservation biologists were not an early user group of Landsat data because a) biologists lacked technical capacity – computers and software – to analyze these data; b) Landsats 1980s commercialization rendered images too costly for biologists budgets; and c) the broad-scale disciplines of conservation biology and landscape ecology did not develop until the mid-to-late 1980s. All these conditions had changed by the 1990s and Landsat imagery became an important tool for conservation biology. Satellite monitoring and Landsat continuity are mandated by the Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992. This legislation leaves open commercial options. However, past experiments with commercial operations were neither viable nor economical, and severely reduced the quality of monitoring, archiving and data access for academia and the public. Future satellite monitoring programs are essential for conservation and natural resource management, must provide continuity with Landsat, and should be government operated.     

Assessing wetland changes in the venice lagoon by means of satellite remote sensing data

Not only does lagoon ecology represent a transitional zone between the sea and the continent but it also expresses the equilibrium belt between erosion and sedimentation processes. Within the framework of a coastal management scheme, a precise and timely mapping of morphological changes in this environment is important. This paper illustrates the possible contribution of multi-temporal satellite observations in the monitoring of the erosion/sedimentation processes of coastal zones, where landscape features are subjected to highly morphodynamical modifications. In particular, an improved mapping accuracy was obtained by the successive application of the Maximum Likelihood (MLH) classifier and the Linear Mixture Model (LMM) techniques to the satellite image classification procedure. In fact, by estimating the amount of shallow water and wetland within each satellite pixel, the LMM technique allows for an accurate mapping of the transitional zones in the lagoon environment, thus permitting an optimal separation between land and water. The study concerns the Venice lagoon (Italy) which has been sinking slowly since the beginning of this century. This has led to widespread loss of wetlands. In order to monitor the development of the land cover, four Landsat Thematic Mapper scenes were examined, during the period 1984 to 1993. The results obtained proved that the digital analysis method of multitemporal satellite imagery, applied over a selected test area, enables the evolution of an estuarine environment landscape, with its different sequences of erosion and periods of accretion, to be monitored. The significant influence of tidal stages is discussed in the data analysis.     

RIDGE REGRESSION TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO LANDSAT INVESTIGATION OF WATER QUALITY IN LAKE OKEECHOBEE1

ABSTRACT: Landsat radiance values were processed at two different (single and double) levels of accuracy to estimate chlorophyll a, turbidity, and suspended sediment in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Both ordinary least square and ridge regression analyses were used to establish a relationship between water quality parameters and Landsat radiance. Radiance measurements made at greater precision (double level) gave a better solution in this application. The ridge regression analysis for double level not only can reduce the total mean square error about 13–20 percent and confidence interval about 6–28 percent as compared to ordinary least square analysis, but it can also change the interpretation of analysis results.     

Mapping Disturbances in a Mangrove Forest Using Multi-Date Landsat TM Imagery

To evaluate the accounts of local fishermen, Landsat TM images (1986, 1993, 1999) were examined to assess potential losses in the mangrove forests of the Teacapán–Agua Brava lagoon system, Mexico. A binary change mask derived from image differencing of a band 4/3 ratio was employed to calculate any changes within this forested wetland. The results indicate that by 1986 approximately 18% (or 86 km²) of the mangrove area under study was either dead or in poor condition. The majority of this damage had occurred in the eastern section of the Agua Brava basin, which coincides, with the reports of the elderly fishermen. Examination of aerial photographs from 1970 revealed no adverse impacts in this area and would suggest, as postulated by the fishermen and other scientists, that modifications in environmental conditions following the opening of a canal, Cuautlá canal, in 1972 may have initiated the large-scale mortality. Although these areas of impact are still developing, the results from the satellite data indicate that the majority of the more recent changes are occurring elsewhere in the system. Obvious in the 1999 satellite data, but not so in the 1993, are large areas of mangrove degradation in the northern section of the Teacapán region. In the Agua Brava basin, the more recent transformations are appearing on the western side of the basin. Since long-term records of environmental conditions are absent, it is difficult to determine why these latest changes are occurring or even if the earlier losses were the result of the canal. Potential agents of change that have recently been observed include a hurricane, a second canal, and the uncontrolled expansion of the Cuautlá canal since 1994.     

LANDSAT MID-INFRARED DATA AND GIS IN REGIONAL SURFACE SOIL-MOISTURE ASSESSMENT1

ABSTRACT: Landsat satellite Thematic Mapper (TM) data were used to assess regional soil moisture conditions. The mid-infrared (MIR) data of TM band 7 were overlain onto four principal land-use categories (Agricultural/Irrigated, Urban/Clearings, Forest/ Wetlands, Water) using a geographic information system (GIS). M data were used to assess four qualitative surface soil-moisture conditions (water/very wet, wet, moist, and dry) within each land-use category of a 208,354 ha southwestern Florida study area. The MIR response was inversely related to the qualitative surface soil-moisture content. Integration of Landsat TM MIR data with land use through GIS appears to be a useful technique for high-resolution regional soil moisture assessment, and further research to reline this technique is recommended.     

The use of Landsat multispectral scanner data for the analysis and management of flooding on the river Severn,England

Remote sensing has emerged as one of the major techniques for the analysis and delineation of large floods. This analysis can provide data invaluable for the hydrological management of large river systems. A need for information on the extent of floodplain inundation for the lower reaches of the largest river in the UK was met by a search through Landsat images of floods and the analysis of the best example recorded. Automated classification of the Landsat imagery of this flood on the river Severn in 1977 was used to provide estimates of the extent and spatial distribution of inundation. Flood images were generated using the Plessey IDP 3000 image processor, and the maps derived accorded well with aerial photography and qualitative flood information. Three distinct floodplain environments were delineated and flood images produced by different spectral bands compared. Specific questions prompted by flood hazard management and concerning the processes and extent of flooding were answered by the Landsat data analysis. Management of the flood risk of large rivers is expensive and remote sensing data is a relatively cheap and effective way of monitoring control works and providing data for the prediction of the effects of future hydrological works. Remote sensing is a practical way in which spatial information concerning the behavior of large dynamic systems can be obtained both quickly and relatively cheaply.     

塔里木河下游区域植被时空变化

为了对比生态输水工程实施前后塔里木河下游植被变化,分析植被对生态输水的时空响应,基于1986-2017年研究区上方无云的22期Landsat NDVI数据,辅以波动分析、趋势分析,探索研究区植被的时空变化特征,并对其驱动因素进行分析。结果表明：（1）空间上,植被的分布与水资源的分布密切相关,主要沿河道和积水区域分布。（2）1986-2000年,NDVI呈现缓慢下降趋势,2000-2017年NDVI总体呈现波动增加趋势;植被对生态输水有一定的滞后性,且与输水量密切相关。（3）研究区NDVI时间序列的方差介于0.0077~0.1957间,存在明显的空间差异,其波动的大小与植被种类密切相关。（4）1986-2000年,植被的NDVI空间趋势以减小为主,并主要发生在英苏和老英苏附近;2000-2017年,植被的NDVI空间趋势以增加为主,且主要发生在沿河道区域和喀尔达依东侧。     

基于GEE的1998～2018年京津冀土地利用变化对生态系统服务价值的影响

在京津冀地区可持续发展评估研究中,对生态系统服务价值进行动态估算具有重要意义.本文以京津冀地区为研究区,基于谷歌地球引擎(GEE)云平台采用分类决策树(CART)分类算法对研究区内1998、2003、2008、2013及2018年的Landsat TM/OLI影像进行监督分类得到5个时期土地利用数据并定量分析1998～2018年京津冀地区土地利用动态变化规律,再利用生态服务价值(ESV)当量估算方法定量估算京津冀地区的ESV并结合15 km×15 km尺度格网探明其时空动态变化.结果表明:①1998～2018年间,京津冀地区6种土地利用类型中建设用地(增加16. 67%)及草地(减少13. 73%)面积占比变化幅度最大,水体(减少0. 2%)面积占比变化幅度最小.②京津冀地区ESV总价值在1998～2003年间出现短暂增长(增加91. 97亿元),2003～2018年间持续降低(减少239. 07亿元),主要与建设用地面积在除1998～2003年的其余3个时间段扩张较快有关,6种土地利用类型中林地提供的ESV最高,建设用地及未利用土地提供的ESV最低.③基于15 km×15 km尺度格网的ESV时空分析表明,1998～2018年间京津冀地区ESV中等区逐渐较少,ESV较低区及较高区逐渐增加,且ESV较低区增速高于较高区.④1998～2018年间,京津冀地区6种土地利用类型对价值系数的敏感性系数(SI)范围为0～0. 40,且均低于1,表明本文ESV对修订后的生态系统服务价值系数缺乏弹性,证明本文定量估算ESV的结果是可靠的.在未来经济发展中,京津冀地区应合理优化土地利用格局,加强对林地、草地、水体及耕地的保护.研究可为制定可持续发展战略,建设生态友好型社会提供参考.     

城市公园的冷岛效应研究——以常州市为例

在长江三角洲地区快速城市化的常州市内研究公园组成与冷岛效应的量化关系.基于Landsat 8TIRS和天地图高分辨率遥感影像提取公园指标以及冷岛效应指标.使用辐射传输方程法反演研究区的地表温度,使用ArcGIS的缓冲区分析和分段回归的方法研究每个公园的地表温度、降温范围和降温幅度作为冷岛效应指标;提取公园的周长、面积,并计算融合指数作为公园组成指标,在天地图高清遥感影像中提取公园的绿地覆盖率、水体覆盖率、不透水面覆盖率以及乔木覆盖率作为公园地表覆盖指标.通过相关性分析和回归模型研究,发现公园的面积为26hm²、周长阈值为3600m,公园的面积和周长在阈值范围内能够发挥较强的降温效率,超过阈值则降温效率下降.公园的融合指数与冷岛效应呈线性相关关系,融合指数较小的公园能获得较大的降温幅度.公园的乔木覆盖率、水体覆盖率与公园内部的地表温度呈显著相关关系,不透水面覆盖率、绿地覆盖率与公园内部的地表温度相关性不显著.公园规划设计需要结合公园的面积、周长阈值,融合指数的数值以及乔木、水体的覆盖率,充分发挥公园的冷岛效应.