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ACCURACY ASSESSMENTS OF AIRBORNE HYSPERSPECTRAL DATA FOR MAPPING OPPORTUNISTIC PLANT SPECIES IN FRESHWATER COASTAL WETLANDS
Citation:
Lopez, R D., C M. Edmonds, A C. Neale, E T. Slonecker, K B. Jones, D T. Heggem, J G. Lyon, E. Jaworski, D Garofalo, AND D J. Williams. ACCURACY ASSESSMENTS OF AIRBORNE HYSPERSPECTRAL DATA FOR MAPPING OPPORTUNISTIC PLANT SPECIES IN FRESHWATER COASTAL WETLANDS. Chapter 18, Ross S. Lunetta, John G. Lyon (ed.), Remote Sensing and GIS Accuracy Assessment. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL, , 253-267, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of this task are to:
Assess new remote sensing technology for applicability to landscape characterization; Integrate multiple sensor systems data for improved landscape characterization;
Coordinate future technological needs with other agencies' sensor development programs;
Apply existing remote sensing systems to varied landscape characterization needs; and
Conduct remote sensing applications research for habitat suitability, water resources, and terrestrial condition indicators.
Description:
Airbome hyperspectral data were used to detect dense patches of Phragmites australis, a native opportunist plant species, at the Pointe Mouillee coastal wetland complex (Wayne and Monroe Counties, Michigan). This study provides initial results from one of thirteen coastal wetlands, field-sampled during Summer, 2001. Initial results are from airborne hyperspectral (PROBE-1) data acquisition and the data processing procedures that were performed in conjunction with wetland field sampling in two patches of Phragmites australis at Pointe Mouillee. The spread of Phragmites australis and other opportunistic plant species throughout the landscape is of concern to natural resource managers because it poses a threat to the biological diversity of wetlands. Research suggests that the establishment and expansion of such invasive and aggressive plant species may be the result of general ecosystem stresses. Thus, Phragmites australis may be an indicator of wetland condition. We used PROBE- I data as a first step in the semi-automated process of mapping the presence of Phragmites australis and its percent cover within large homogeneous patches, typical of some Great Lakes coastal wetlands. We discuss the results of this study in the context of long-term project goals of determining ecological relationships between: (1) landscape disturbances in the vicinity of wetlands; and (2) the presence and distribution of Phragmites australis within wetlands.