Remote Sensing of Landscape-Level Coastal Environmental Indicators

Advances in technology and decreases in cost are making remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) practical and attractive for use in coastal resource management. They are also allowing researchers and managers to take a broader view of ecological patterns and processes. Landscape-level environmental indicators that can be detected by Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and other remote sensors are available to provide quantitative estimates of coastal and estuarine habitat conditions and trends. Such indicators include watershed land cover, riparian buffers, shoreline and wetland changes, among others. With the launch of Landsat 7, the cost of TM imagery has dropped by nearly a factor of 10, decreasing the cost of monitoring large coastal areas and estuaries. New satellites, carrying sensors with much finer spatial (1-5 m) and spectral (200 narrow bands) resolutions are being launched, providing a capability to more accurately detect changes in coastal habitat and wetland health. Advances in the application of GIS help incorporate ancillary data layers to improve the accuracy of satellite land-cover classification. When these techniques for generating, organizing, storing, and analyzing spatial information are combined with mathematical models, coastal planners and managers have a means for assessing the impacts of alternative management practices.     

An inventory of wetland impoundments in the coastal zone of Louisiana,USA: Historical trends

We inventoried wetland impoundments in the Louisiana, USA, coastal zone from the late 1900s to 1985. Historically, impoundment of wetlands for reclamation resulted in direct wetland loss after levees (dikes) failed and the impounded area was permanently flooded, reverting not to wetland, but to open-water habitat. A current management approach is to surround wetlands by levees and water control structures, a practice termed semi-impoundment marsh management. The purpose of this semi-impoundment is to retard saltwater intrusion and reduce water level fluctuations in an attempt to reduce wetland loss, which is a serious problem in coastal Louisiana. In order to quantify the total impounded area, we used historic data and high-altitude infrared photography to map coastal impoundments. Our goal was to produce a documented inventory of wetlands intentionally impounded by levees in the coastal zone of Louisiana in order to provide a benchmark for further research. We inventoried 370,658 ha within the coastal zone that had been intentionally impounded before 1985. This area is equal to about 30% of the total wetland area in the coastal zone. Of that total area, approximately 12% (43,000 ha) is no longer impounded (i.e., failed impoundments; levees no longer exist or only remnants remain). Of the 328,000 ha still impounded, about 65% (214,000 ha) is developed (agriculture, aquaculture, urban and industrial development, and contained spoil). The remaining 35% (114,000 ha) of impoundments are in an undeveloped state (wetland or openwater habitat). In December 1985, approximately 50% (78,000 ha) of the undeveloped and failed impoundments were open-water habitat. This inventory will allow researchers to monitor future change in land-water ratios that occur within impounded wetlands and thus to assess the utility of coastal wetland management using impoundments.     

Monitoring wetland changes with remote sensing: An East African example

Environmental managers need current, accurate information upon which to base decisions. Viable information, especially in developing countries, is often unavailable. Satellite remote sensing is an appropriate and effective data source for mapping the surface of the earth, including a variety of environmental features. Remote-sensing-derived information is enhanced by being one component within a geographic information system (GIS). These techniques were employed to study an expanding delta in East Africa.The Omo River flows from the Ethiopian Highlands into the northern end of Lake Turkana, creating a large delta extending between Ethiopia and Kenya. This isolated and unique wetland feature has expanded by over 500 sq km in the last 15 years as measured by space-borne remote sensing techniques and corroborated by low-altitude aircraft reconnaissance flights.The growth of the delta appears to be a function of both increased sedimentation and decreased lake levels and river flows. Within the delta there has been a selective decline in wildlife and an increase in human activity, both pastoral and agricultural. The uniqueness of this isolated delta suggests that consideration be given to its possible protection and management.On leave from Department of Geography, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA     

Remote sensing for land management and planning

The primary role of remote sensing in land management and planning has been to provide information concerning the physical characteristics of the land which influence the management of individual land parcels or the allocation of lands to various uses These physical characteristics have typically been assessed through aerial photography, which is used to develop resource maps and to monitor changing environmental conditions These uses are well developed and currently well integrated into the planning infrastructure at local, state, and federal levels in the United States.Many newly emerging uses of remote sensing involve digital images which are collected, stored, and processed automatically by electromechanical scanning devices and electronic computers Some scanning devices operate from aircraft or spacecraft to scan ground scenes directly; others scan conventional aerial transparencies to yield digital images. Digital imagery offers the potential for computer-based automated map production, a process that can significantly increase the amount and timeliness of information available to land managers and planners.Future uses of remote sensing in land planning and management will involve geographic information systems, which store resource information in a geocoded format. Geographic information systems allow the automated integration of disparate types of resource data through various types of spatial models so that with accompanying sample ground data, information in the form of thematic maps and/ or aerially aggregated statistics can be produced Key issues confronting the development and integration of geographic information systems into planning pathways are restoration and rectification of digital images, automated techniques for combining both quantitative and qualitative types of data in information-extracting procedures, and the compatibility of alternative data storage modes     

Remote sensing and GIS for wetland inventory, mapping and change analysis

A multiple purpose wetland inventory is being developed and promoted through partnerships and specific analyses at different scales in response to past uncertainties and gaps in inventory coverage. A partnership approach is being promoted through the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to enable a global inventory database to be compiled from individual projects and analyses using remote sensing and GIS. Individual projects that are currently part of this global effort are described. They include an analysis of the Ramsar sites' database to map the distribution of Ramsar sites across global ecoregions and to identify regions and wetland types that are under-represented in the database. Given the extent of wetland degradation globally, largely due to agricultural activities, specific attention is directed towards the usefulness of Earth Observation in providing information that can be used to more effectively manage wetlands. As an example, a further project using satellite data and GIS to quantify the condition of wetlands along the western coastline of Sri Lanka is described and trends in land use due to changes in agriculture, sedimentation and settlement patterns are outlined. At a regional scale, a project to map and assess, using remote sensing, individual wetlands used for agriculture in eight countries in southern Africa is also described. Land cover and the extent of inundation at each site is being determined from a multi-temporal data set of images as a base for further assessment of land use change. Integrated fully within these analyses is the development of local capacity to plan and undertake such analyses and in particular to relate the outcomes to wetland management and to compile data on the distribution, extent and condition of wetlands globally.     

Aerospace wetland monitoring by hyperspectral imaging sensors: a case study in the coastal zone of San Rossore Natural Park

The San Rossore Natural Park, located on the Tuscany (Italy) coast, has been utilized over the last 10 years for many remote sensing campaigns devoted to coastal zone monitoring. A wet area is located in the south-west part of the Natural Park and it is characterized by a system of ponds and dunes formed by sediment deposition occurring at the Arno River estuary. The considerable amount of collected data has permitted us to investigate the evolution of wetland spreading and land coverage as well as to retrieve relevant biogeochemical parameters, e.g. green biomass, from remote sensing images and products. This analysis has proved that the monitoring of coastal wetlands, characterized by shallow waters, moor and dunes, demands dedicated aerospace sensors with high spatial and spectral resolution. The outcomes of the processing of images gathered during several remote sensing campaigns by airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral sensors are presented and discussed. A particular effort has been devoted to sensor response calibration and data validation due to the complex heterogeneity of the observed natural surfaces.     

Building spectral libraries for wetlands land cover classification and hyperspectral remote sensing

Recent advances in remote sensing provide opportunities to map plant species and vegetation within wetlands at management relevant scales and resolutions. Hyperspectral imagers, currently available on airborne platforms, provide increased spectral resolution over existing space-based sensors that can document detailed information on the distribution of vegetation community types, and sometimes species. Development of spectral libraries of wetland species is a key component needed to facilitate advanced analytical techniques to monitor wetlands. Canopy and leaf spectra at five sites in California, Texas, and Mississippi were sampled to create a common spectral library for mapping wetlands from remotely sensed data. An extensive library of spectra (n=1336) for coastal wetland communities, across a range of bioclimatic, edaphic, and disturbance conditions were measured. The wetland spectral libraries were used to classify and delineate vegetation at a separate location, the Pacheco Creek wetland in the Sacramento Delta, California, using a PROBE-1 airborne hyperspectral data set (5m pixel resolution, 128 bands). This study discusses sampling and collection methodologies for building libraries, and illustrates the potential of advanced sensors to map wetland composition. The importance of developing comprehensive wetland spectral libraries, across diverse ecosystems is highlighted. In tandem with improved analytical tools these libraries provide a physical basis for interpretation that is less subject to conditions of specific data sets. To facilitate a global approach to the application of hyperspectral imagers to mapping wetlands, we suggest that criteria for and compilation of wetland spectral libraries should proceed today in anticipation of the wider availability and eventual space-based deployment of advanced hyperspectral high spatial resolution sensors.     

浅谈遥感技术在大气监测中的应用

碳的氧化物、硫的氧化物、氮的氧化物和臭氧等是人类在生产活动和社会活动产生中的主要的环境污染物,它们威胁着人类的生存环境和地球上的生态平衡。因此,对它们进行实时监测和综合治理显得非常重要。文章介绍了遥感(RS)技术,重点介绍遥感技术在大气环境监测中的应用。     

Remote sensing water observation for supporting Lake Victoria weed management

This paper aims to assess the suitability of remote sensing for enhancing the management of water body resources and for providing an inexpensive way to gather, on a wide area, weed infestation extent and optical parameter linked to the water body status. Remotely sensed satellite images and ancillary ground true data were used to produce land cover maps, trough classification techniques, and water compounds maps, applying radiative transfer models. The study proposed within the framework of the cooperation between Italian Foreign Affair Ministry (through the University of Rome) and Kenyan Authorities has been carried out on the Kenyan part of the Lake Victoria. This lake is one of the largest freshwater bodies of the world where, over the last few years environmental challenges and human impact have perturbed the ecological balance affecting the biodiversity. The objective of this research study is to define the thematic products, retrievable from satellite images, like weed abundance maps and water compound concentrations. These products, if provided with an appropriate time frequency, are useful to identify the preconditions for the occurrence of hazard events like abnormal macrophyte proliferation and to develop an up-to-date decision support system devoted to an apprised territory, environment and resource management.     

An assessment of urban development into coastal wetlands using historical aerial photography: a case study

Like many other states in the USA, Virginia passed legislation to protect coastal wetlands with limited information on the rate and location of past wetlands conversions. This information, however, can be useful in the design of cost-effective and flexible programs for wetlands management, particularly when such information is used in combination with studies of the socioeconomic value of wetlands. This paper reports on the use of photogrammetric and interpretive methods to determine historical changes in wetlands use for Virginia Beach and Accomack counties, Virginia. Conclusions are drawn as to the use of such information in policy design and program monitoring.     

遥感技术在灾害监测中的应用

介绍总结了近年来遥感技术在灾害监测中的应用与进展，以若干应用实例阐明了遥感技术在实现对自然灾害进行宏观、实时、动态、连续监测中不可替代的作用；在对我国灾害遥感的应用现状进行了分析之后，发现灾前预测工作有所不足；指出遥感技术将进一步同地理信息系统技术和全球定位系统技术相结合，在防灾减灾工作中发挥愈来愈重要的作用。     

浅谈遥感监测水环境

目前，遥感监测能有效解决水环境监测的大范围性、连续性、动态性以及高效性等技术问题。遥感监测越来越受到环保部门的重视。     

Using remote sensing technique to study soil sedimentation flow

Soils will behave differently when used for agriculture, forestry, and other purposes and must be managed differently. The difference is most evident in the Inverbrackie Creek catchment area in South Australia where the study reported in this article was conducted and where the soils are used extensively for grazing and dairy farming. This catchment covers an area of 8.38 km², comprising an undulating upland plain with irregularly high hills and broad interfluves. Previous information-gathering methods used to model the catchment's hydrologic activity have been derived from the downstream pluviographic point-source technique. The model input samples obtained by this technique are not truly representative of the catchment. The potential for using remote sensing color infrared imagery to delineate the areas contributing to soil sediment flow is demonstrated as a better alternative to obtaining representative samples to model this activity. This article reports on part of the work supported by the University Research Grant, University of Adelaide.     

Natural resources planning, management, and sustainable use in China

Almost all the issues of sustainable development in China relate to natural resources. Sustainable development as one of the most important strategies has been incorporated into all the actions related to the planning and management of natural resources in China. This paper gives an overview of the contributions of natural resources and the challenges facing the natural resource sectors. It contributes a series of proposals on the planning and management of natural resources. It also outlines the general framework of the planning system for natural resources and summarizes the Great Survey of Natural Resources Program that the Ministry of Land and Resources is implementing.     

Potential coastal impacts of contemporary changing climate on South Asian seas states

The threat of man-induced global change on the nations of the South Asian seas region varies from place to place because of differences in exposure to monsoons and stoms, differences in local tectonics and subsidence, and variations in air and sea climates. Because several nations are involved, some having subsistence budgets, and given the cost of deriving independently a comprehensive response to global change, the similarities and differences between national settings must be identified soon. These comparisons will form the basis for local response strategies: the similarities provide a basis for responses similar to that of other nations and the differences provide for local adaptation. That climate change on the South Asian coastal region will have an impact is certain: its economics, environment, and coastal land uses are dominated to a certain extent by this marine influence. The extent of these impacts, however, is uncertain. Accompanying global change will be changes in sea level, differences in storm climate, and altered precipitation patterns; science cannot define today what pattern these changes will take. Because global change is inevitable—although its magnitude, timing, and geographic distribution are unknown—the South Asian seas region should begin the appropriate research and planning studies to set forth a reasoned response to global change, for implementation when scientific evidence for global change is more quantitative.     

The relationship between resources and living standards

Available estimates of potentially recoverable world mineral and fuel resources are examined with a view to determining whether everyone likely to be living on earth next century could be raised to the material living standards people in developed countries now have. It is concluded that this goal is impossible. A number of fundamentally important implications follow, especially regarding the inappropriateness of growth strategies in general, goals for Third World development, and the need for ‘de-development’ of developed countries to much more frugal, self-sufficient and cooperative social systems.     

Potentially recoverable resources: How recoverable?

There are a number of factors which are likely to limit the proportion of potentially recoverable resources that will actually be recovered. The most important of these concern the way minerals are distributed within the crust and trends in energy costs associated with mineral production. This article offers a pessimistic view of the prospects for mineral supplies early in the 21st century. The resource situation is even less hopeful when the possibility of extending the material living standards of the developed countries to everyone likely to be living on earth late next century is considered.     

Exploring the capacity of radar remote sensing to estimate wetland marshes water storage

This paper focuses on the use of radar remote sensing for water storage estimation in wetland marshes of the Paraná River Delta in Argentina. The approach followed is based on the analysis of a temporal set of ENVISAT ASAR data which includes images acquired under different polarizations and incidence angles as well as different environmental conditions (water level, precipitation, and vegetation condition). Two marsh species, named junco and cortadera, were monitored. This overall data set gave us the possibility of studying and understanding the basic interactions between the radar, the soil under different flood conditions, and the vegetation structure. The comprehension of the observed features was addressed through electromagnetic models developed for these ecosystems. The procedure used in this work to estimate water level within marshes combines a direct electromagnetic model, field work data specifically obtained to feed the model, the actual ASAR measurements and a well known retrieval scheme based on a cost function. Results are validated with water level evaluations at specific points. A map showing an estimation of the water storage capacity and its error in junco and cortadera areas for the date where the investigation was done is also presented.     

Detection of Coastal Saline Land Uses with Multi-Temporal Landsat Images in Shangyu City,China

Many coastal regions in China are confronted with pressing problems of scarce land resources and heavy population. Over the past 30 years, considerable parts of coastal tidelands have been enclosed and reclaimed for agricultural land uses. To assess, plan, and implement large-scale reclamation programs, up-to-date and reliable information concerning the nature, areal extent, and physical and chemical characteristics of coastal saline lands is essential. This paper reports a remote sensing approach to detecting coastal saline land uses in Shangyu City, China, by using multi-temporal Landsat images. First, with the aid of resolution-sharpened Landsat-7 ETM+ images and their enhanced linear features, a visual interpretation is applied to extract individual dikes. Based on time series images and local government records, a spatial zoning procedure is then used to define six sub-zones with different historical years of reclamation. It shows that a total of 15,668 ha of coastal saline lands were enclosed and reclaimed from 1969 to 1996. Second, a modified land-use classification system for the study area is prescribed, and both unsupervised and supervised classifiers are performed for land-use classifications of grouped sub-zones. Information obtained from the spatial zoning, Tasseled Cap transformation and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, is also utilized to facilitate the supervised classification process. Finally, a detailed land-use map is produced, with an overall classification accuracy of 77.8%. Results show that dominant agricultural land uses of sub-zones are changed with historical reclamation years, from saline lands with wildgrass (very recently reclaimed) to aqua-farm ponds, to cotton fields, and to paddy fields and orchards (very early reclaimed). This transform process is primarily affected by soil salinities, and according to a soil survey an electrical conductivity of saturation extract decreased from 7.3 ds/m in the saline land reclaimed in 1996 to below 2 ds/m in the land reclaimed before 1969. The study concludes that multi-temporal remotely sensed images are important and effective data sources for monitoring the rapid changes of coastal land uses.