Roadside Measurements of Deforestation in the Amazon Area of Bolivia

This study describes the deforestation impact from three settlements, 5 de Junio, El Tigre, and 30 de Agosto, near the Madidi National Park in Bolivia. First deforestation rates along the road that connects the settlements and then deforestation within each settlement are examined. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery from 1987, 1997, and 2000 were used to measure the deforestation. Face-to-face interviews were also used to collect detailed social and land-use information. Road-building and farming have been the major causes of deforestation in this region. The TM measurements indicate a high increase in the deforestation rate along the road in the area of study. The results also show a rapidly escalating deforestation rate in 5 de Junio, a potential high future deforestation rate in El Tigre, and a gradual deforestation increase in 30 de Agosto. The information provided by the settlers about clearing was compared with the imagery analysis. Generally, the settlers estimates were lower than the deforestation as derived from the imagery.     

Assessing the impact of urbanization on regional net primary productivity in Jiangyin County, China

Urbanization is one of the most important aspects of global change. The process of urbanization has a significant impact on the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle. The Yangtze Delta region has one of the highest rates of urbanization in China. In this study, carried out in Jiangyin County as a representative region within the Yangtze Delta, land use and land cover changes were estimated using Landsat TM and ETM+ imagery. With these satellite data and the BEPS process model (Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator), the impacts of urbanization on regional net primary productivity (NPP) and annual net primary production were assessed for 1991 and 2002. Landsat-based land cover maps in 1991 and 2002 showed that urban development encroached large areas of cropland and forest. Expansion of residential areas and reduction of vegetated areas were the major forms of land transformation in Jiangyin County during this period. Mean NPP of the total area decreased from 818 to 699 gCm(-2)yr(-1) during the period of 1991 to 2002. NPP of cropland was only reduced by 2.7% while forest NPP was reduced by 9.3%. Regional annual primary production decreased from 808 GgC in 1991 to 691 GgC in 2002, a reduction of 14.5%. Land cover changes reduced regional NPP directly, and the increasing intensity and frequency of human-induced disturbance in the urbanized areas could be the main reason for the decrease in forest NPP.     

ERS-2 SAR和Landsat ETM+数据融合提取崇明东滩典型地物信息与分类

以长江口崇明东滩为研究区，在分析崇明东滩典型地物的反射光谱特性和散射特性的基础上，对ERS-2 SAR数据和Landsat ETM＋数据分别进行了处理，其中对ERS-2 SAR数据进行了小波去噪处理和纹理特征信息的提取，对ETM＋数据进行了HIS彩色空间变换，然后在特征级层次上对两者进行了信息融合，最后对融合后的图像进行了典型地物信息的提取，并且根据我们野外实地调查数据和已有的研究成果，对本文的分类结果进行了评价，取得了满意的效果。     

Spatial Assessment of the Alder Tree in Kushiro Mire, Japan using Remotely Sensed Imagery – Effects of the Surrounding Land Use on Kushiro Mire

The relationship between alder (Alnus japonica) distribution and surrounding land use in Kushiro Mire was spatially assessed using remotely sensed imagery. From the result, it was found out that the expanding area of alder trees in Kushiro Mire was affected by the agricultural land area in the upper course of the river basin and flooding in the lower course of the river. The soil sediments flowing into the Kushiro Mire from the agricultural land resulted in heavy sedimentation that favors the growth of alder trees. Consequently, the number and density of alder trees has increased. The future distribution of alder trees was predicted based on the mechanism of expansion of the alder-tree area in Kushiro Mire, and it was found that large vegetation areas in Kushiro Mire will be changed to areas with alder trees.     

Quantitative assessment of tidal wetlands using remote sensing

Effective management of tidal wetlands requires periodic data on the boundaries, extent, and condition of the wetlands. In many states, wetlands are defined wholly, or in combination with other criteria, by the presence of particular emergent halophytic plants. Many important characteristics of the wetlands ecosystem are related directly to the production of emergent plant material or may be inferred from knowledge of the distribution of emergent plant species. Remote-sensing techniques have been applied to mapping of the distribution of wetland vegetation but not to quantitative evaluation of the condition of that vegetation.Recent research in the tidal wetlands of Delaware and elsewhere has shown that spectral canopy reflectance properties can be quantitatively related to the emergent green biomass ofSpartina alterniflora (salt marsh cord grass) throughout the peak growing season (April through September, in Delaware). Periodic measurements of this parameter could be applied to calculations of net aerial primary productivity for large areas ofS. alterniflora marsh in which conventional harvest techniques may be prohibitively time consuming. The method is species specific and, therefore, requires accurate discrimination ofS. alterniflora from other vegetation types. Observed seasonal changes in species spectral signatures are shown to have potential for improving multispectral categorization of tidal wetland vegetation types.     

Geospatial and Temporal Analysis of a 20‐Year Record of Landsat‐Based Water Clarity in Minnesota's 10,000 Lakes

A large 20‐year database on water clarity for all Minnesota lakes ≥8 ha was analyzed statistically for spatial distributions, temporal trends, and relationships with in‐lake and watershed factors that potentially affect lake clarity. The database includes Landsat‐based water clarity estimates expressed in terms of Secchi depth (SD_Landsat), an integrative measure of water quality, for more than 10,500 lakes for time periods centered around 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005. Minnesota lake clarity is lower (more turbid) in the south and southwest and clearer in the north and northeast; this pattern is evident at the levels of individual lakes and ecoregions. Temporal trends in clarity were detected in ~11% of the lakes: 4.6% had improving clarity and 6.2% had decreasing clarity. Ecoregions in southern and western Minnesota, where agriculture is the predominant land use, had higher percentages of lakes with decreasing clarity than the rest of the state, and small and shallow lakes had higher percentages of decreasing clarity trends than large and deep lakes. The mean SD_Landsat statewide remained stable from 1985 to 2005 but decreased in ecoregions dominated by agricultural land use. Deep lakes had higher clarity than shallow lakes statewide and for lakes grouped by land cover. SD_Landsat decreased as the percentage of agriculture and/or urban area increased at county and catchment levels and it increased with increasing forested land.     

Land-cover change within and around protected areas in a biodiversity hotspot

The landscape surrounding protected areas influences their ability to maintain ecosystem functions and achieve conservation goals. As anthropogenic intensification continues, it is important to monitor land-use and land-cover change in and around protected areas. We measure land-cover change surrounding protected areas in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity hotspot from the 1980s to present. Using Landsat imagery, we classified land cover within and around each protected area. Agricultural land uses were increasing and often directly border protected area boundaries. Human settlements increased around every protected area, potentially increasing human activity along the edges of protected areas and threatening their ecological integrity. Urban expansion around protected areas varied but increased as much as 10%. Woody vegetation cover varied both within and around protected areas with possible evidence of deforestation and shrub encroachment throughout the hotspot. We recommend monitoring land cover across southeastern Africa to better understand regional trends in land-use impacts to protected areas.     

基于Landsat影像的鄱阳湖平原水稻主产区水稻熟制动态监测

鄱阳湖平原是我国重要的粮食生产基地,是华中单/双季稻作带,是基于遥感监测水稻多熟种植的典型区域。动态监测区域水稻熟制时空格局,对评估耕地利用强度、增强粮食供给功能以及保障国家与地区粮食安全具有重要意义。论文以鄱阳湖平原水稻主产区为例,首先结合水稻物候历、多年月均降水和Landsat影像云量特征,利用Landsat-5/7/8 TM/ETM+/OLI影像数据,在目视解译水田分布的基础上,基于合适时间窗口影像监测了主产区2005年和2013年水稻熟制变化格局;其次,通过农户访谈和调查问卷（677份）收集了主产区水稻种植及熟制变化的相关信息。研究表明：1）9月中旬到10月上旬是判别鄱阳湖平原单/双季稻的合适时间窗口。主产区9-10月处于少雨期,平均降水占全年的4%;云量覆盖小于等于10%的Landsat影像占20%,共484景,其中,9-10月占27%。2）2005-2013年,主产区水田面积减少2.68%,但复种指数增加9.0%,其中,单季稻减少1 061.35 km²,双季稻增加1 564.45 km²;2013年单季稻种植面积为4 795.63 km²,双季稻为11 617.13 km²,水稻复种指数为156.7%。3）空间上,双季稻主要分布在赣江河口三角洲、信江河口三角洲,而单季稻集中在鄱阳湖湖汊周边及市县（区）周围,总体上以赣江-饶河一线为界,界线以北以单季稻为主,以南则以双季稻为主。4）近3成受访农户近5 a调整了水稻熟制,其中“双改单”和“单改双”分别为14.2%和10.8%。另有4成多受调查县域存在主动弃耕现象,研究区弃耕或耕地他用比例占4.9%。     

基于Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI遥感大数据分析南京市1984—2015年大气能见度变化趋势

对南京市1984—2015年Landsat 4／5／7／8卫星TM／ETM＋／OLI传感器获取的遥感数据，利用ENVI遥感软件的FLAASH大气校正模块，进行了区域大气能见度（ VIS）遥感反演。结果表明，时间跨度达30余年的Landsat卫星遥感数据影像序列反演的VIS呈明显的下降趋势，20世纪80年代数值较高，“差”能见度（＜10 km）的观测率不到6％，21世纪以来VIS下降明显，“差”能见度的观测率为20％～25％。与2010—2015年南京市PM10、PM2．5监测数据进行了对比，在城市空气清洁及污染较轻时，星地监测结果有较好的一致性，但中到重污染天气时FLAASH算法反演VIS偏高，侧重于代表离主城区距离远的偏远乡野山林地区的能见度状况。     

基于Landsat-8数据和劈窗算法的地表温度反演及城市热岛效应研究

陆地表面温度(Land Surface Temperature,LST)是地表能量平衡组分中的一个重要参数。随着卫星遥感技术的快速发展,遥感反演成为获取区域LST的一个重要手段。目前已有学者提出多种基于遥感数据反演LST的算法,其中劈窗算法被证明是一种精度较高的算法。基于Landsat-8卫星30 m空间分辨率的陆地成像仪(OLI)数据和100 m分辨率的热红外传感器(TIRS)数据,采用劈窗算法计算了无锡地区的LST,并采用地面实测水温数据和同步的MODIS温度产品对Landsat-8的计算结果进行了验证和对比分析。结果表明:基于Landsat-8数据和劈窗算法获取的LST精度较高,误差1K。在计算的LST结果基础上,进一步提取了热场变异指数来分析城市热岛空间分布特征,给出了城市热岛效应的定量化描述,并就不同地表覆盖类型对热岛效应的影响进行了分析。