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Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2019) | Viewed by 37876

Special Issue Editor

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Interests: multi and hyper-spectral remote sensing; ecosystem succession; time series trend-analysis; geostatistics; spatial modeling; wireless sensor networks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world of remote sensing is moving at a fast rate as new sensors and platforms at different temporal and spatial scales are launched. Also, near-surface remote sensing is emerging as a compelling alternative in our community because of its flexibility and relatively cheap costs. In this particular issue, we would like to provide a venue to all scientists working in tropical environments (new and old tropics) to build a comprehensive body of knowledge for future reference. This Special Issue seeks contributions from review papers to basic research. Areas associated with spectroscopy, resource exploration, and ecological applications of remote sensing are welcome. Papers dealing with data fusion techniques (LiDAR with multi- and hyperspectral remote sensing techniques), as well as the role of LiDAR to estimate biophysical properties and forest productivity, are also of interest. This Special Issue is planned to be broad enough, so the topics presented above just form a starting point.

We look forward to your scientific contribution.

Dr. Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hyperspectral remote sensing
  • LiDAR
  • UAVs
  • biophysical variables (LAI, PAR)

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4911 KiB  
Article
Classification of Tropical Forest Tree Species Using Meter-Scale Image Data
by Matthew Cross, Ted Scambos, Fabio Pacifici, Orlando Vargas-Ramirez, Rafael Moreno-Sanchez and Wesley Marshall
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(12), 1411; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11121411 - 14 Jun 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4195
Abstract
Accurate classification of tropical tree species is critical for understanding forest habitat, biodiversity, forest composition, biomass, and the role of trees in climate variability through carbon uptake. The aim of this study is to establish an accurate classification procedure for tropical tree species, [...] Read more.
Accurate classification of tropical tree species is critical for understanding forest habitat, biodiversity, forest composition, biomass, and the role of trees in climate variability through carbon uptake. The aim of this study is to establish an accurate classification procedure for tropical tree species, specifically testing the feasibility of WorldView-3 (WV-3) multispectral imagery for this task. The specific study site is a defined arboretum within a well-known tropical forest research location in Costa Rica (La Selva Biological Station). An object-based classification is the basis for the analysis to classify six selected tree species. A combination of pre-processed WV-3 bands were inputs to the classification, and an edge segmentation process defined multi-pixel-scale tree canopies. WorldView-3 bands in the Green, Red, Red Edge, and Near-Infrared 2, particularly when incorporated in two specialized vegetation indices, provide high discrimination among the selected species. Classification results yield an accuracy of 85.37%, with minimal errors of commission (7.89%) and omission (14.63%). Shadowing in the satellite imagery had a significant effect on segmentation accuracy (identifying single-species canopy tops) and on classification. The methodology presented provides a path to better characterization of tropical forest species distribution and overall composition for improving biomass studies in a tropical environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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20 pages, 13807 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Sentinel-1 and 2 Time Series for Land Cover Classification of Forest–Agriculture Mosaics in Temperate and Tropical Landscapes
by Audrey Mercier, Julie Betbeder, Florent Rumiano, Jacques Baudry, Valéry Gond, Lilian Blanc, Clément Bourgoin, Guillaume Cornu, Carlos Ciudad, Miguel Marchamalo, René Poccard-Chapuis and Laurence Hubert-Moy
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(8), 979; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11080979 - 24 Apr 2019
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 7793
Abstract
Monitoring forest–agriculture mosaics is crucial for understanding landscape heterogeneity and managing biodiversity. Mapping these mosaics from remotely sensed imagery remains challenging, since ecological gradients from forested to agricultural areas make characterizing vegetation more difficult. The recent synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Sentinel-1 (S-1) and [...] Read more.
Monitoring forest–agriculture mosaics is crucial for understanding landscape heterogeneity and managing biodiversity. Mapping these mosaics from remotely sensed imagery remains challenging, since ecological gradients from forested to agricultural areas make characterizing vegetation more difficult. The recent synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Sentinel-1 (S-1) and optical Sentinel-2 (S-2) time series provide a great opportunity to monitor forest–agriculture mosaics due to their high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, while a few studies have used the temporal resolution of S-2 time series alone to map land cover and land use in cropland and/or forested areas, S-1 time series have not yet been investigated alone for this purpose. The combined use of S-1 & S-2 time series has been assessed for only one or a few land cover classes. In this study, we assessed the potential of S-1 data alone, S-2 data alone, and their combined use for mapping forest–agriculture mosaics over two study areas: a temperate mountainous landscape in the Cantabrian Range (Spain) and a tropical forested landscape in Paragominas (Brazil). Satellite images were classified using an incremental procedure based on an importance rank of the input features. The classifications obtained with S-2 data alone (mean kappa index = 0.59–0.83) were more accurate than those obtained with S-1 data alone (mean kappa index = 0.28–0.72). Accuracy increased when combining S-1 and 2 data (mean kappa index = 0.55–0.85). The method enables defining the number and type of features that discriminate land cover classes in an optimal manner according to the type of landscape considered. The best configuration for the Spanish and Brazilian study areas included 5 and 10 features, respectively, for S-2 data alone and 10 and 20 features, respectively, for S-1 data alone. Short-wave infrared and VV and VH polarizations were key features of S-2 and S-1 data, respectively. In addition, the method enables defining key periods that discriminate land cover classes according to the type of images used. For example, in the Cantabrian Range, winter and summer were key for S-2 time series, while spring and winter were key for S-1 time series. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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20 pages, 13670 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Canopy Tree Loss and Gap Recovery in Tropical Forests under Low-Intensity Logging Using VHR Satellite Imagery and Airborne LiDAR
by Ricardo Dalagnol, Oliver L. Phillips, Emanuel Gloor, Lênio S. Galvão, Fabien H. Wagner, Charton J. Locks and Luiz E. O. C. Aragão
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(7), 817; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11070817 - 04 Apr 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6627
Abstract
Logging, including selective and illegal activities, is widespread, affecting the carbon cycle and the biodiversity of tropical forests. However, automated approaches using very high resolution (VHR) satellite data (≤1 m spatial resolution) to accurately track these small-scale human disturbances over large and remote [...] Read more.
Logging, including selective and illegal activities, is widespread, affecting the carbon cycle and the biodiversity of tropical forests. However, automated approaches using very high resolution (VHR) satellite data (≤1 m spatial resolution) to accurately track these small-scale human disturbances over large and remote areas are not readily available. The main constraint for performing this type of analysis is the lack of spatially accurate tree-scale validation data. In this study, we assessed the potential of VHR satellite imagery to detect canopy tree loss related to selective logging in closed-canopy tropical forests. To do this, we compared the tree loss detection capability of WorldView-2 and GeoEye-1 satellites with airborne LiDAR, which acquired pre- and post-logging data at the Jamari National Forest in the Brazilian Amazon. We found that logging drove changes in canopy height ranging from −5.6 to −42.2 m, with a mean reduction of −23.5 m. A simple LiDAR height difference threshold of −10 m was enough to map 97% of the logged trees. Compared to LiDAR, tree losses can be detected using VHR satellite imagery and a random forest (RF) model with an average precision of 64%, while mapping 60% of the total tree loss. Tree losses associated with large gap openings or tall trees were more successfully detected. In general, the most important remote sensing metrics for the RF model were standard deviation statistics, especially those extracted from the reflectance of the visible bands (R, G, B), and the shadow fraction. While most small canopy gaps closed within ~2 years, larger gaps could still be observed over a longer time. Nevertheless, the use of annual imagery is advised to reach acceptable detectability. Our study shows that VHR satellite imagery has the potential for monitoring the logging in tropical forests and detecting hotspots of natural disturbance with a low cost at the regional scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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18 pages, 9249 KiB  
Article
Effective Band Ratio of Landsat 8 Images Based on VNIR-SWIR Reflectance Spectra of Topsoils for Soil Moisture Mapping in a Tropical Region
by Dinh Ngo Thi, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Quy Tran Dang, Katsuaki Koike and Nhuan Mai Trong
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(6), 716; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11060716 - 25 Mar 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7873
Abstract
Effective mapping and monitoring of soil moisture content (SMC) in space and time is an expected application of remote sensing for agricultural development and drought mitigation, particularly in the context of global climate change impact, given that agricultural drought is occurring more frequently [...] Read more.
Effective mapping and monitoring of soil moisture content (SMC) in space and time is an expected application of remote sensing for agricultural development and drought mitigation, particularly in the context of global climate change impact, given that agricultural drought is occurring more frequently and severely worldwide. This study aims to develop a regional algorithm for estimating SMC by using Landsat 8 (L8) imagery, based on analyses of the response of soil reflectance, by corresponding L8 bands with the change of SMC from dry to saturated states, in all 103 soil samples taken in the central region of Vietnam. The L8 spectral band ratio of the near-infrared band (NIR: 850–880 nm, band 5) versus the short-wave infrared 2 band (SWIR2: 2110 to 2290 nm, band 7) shows the strongest correlation to SMC by a logarithm function (R2 = 0.73 and the root mean square error, RMSE ~ 12%) demonstrating the high applicability of this band ratio for estimating SMC. The resultant maps of SMC estimated from the L8 images were acquired over the northern part of the Central Highlands of Vietnam in March 2015 and March 2016 showed an agreement with the pattern of severe droughts that occurred in the region. Further discussions on the relationship between the estimated SMC and the satellite-based retrieved drought index, the Normal Different Drought Index, from the L8 image acquired in March 2016, showed a strong correlation between these two variables within an area with less than 20% dense vegetation (R2 = 0.78 to 0.95), and co-confirms the bad effect of drought on almost all areas of the northern part of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Directly estimating SMC from L8 imagery provides more information for irrigation management and better drought mitigation than by using the remotely sensed drought index. Further investigations on various soil types and optical sensors (i.e., Sentinel 2A, 2B) need to be carried out, to extend and promote the applicability of the prosed algorithm, towards better serving agricultural management and drought mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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19 pages, 6654 KiB  
Article
Forest Cover and Vegetation Degradation Detection in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Using BFAST Monitor
by Michael Schultz, Aurélie Shapiro, Jan G. P. W. Clevers, Craig Beech and Martin Herold
Remote Sens. 2018, 10(11), 1850; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs10111850 - 21 Nov 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7267
Abstract
Forest cover and vegetation degradation was monitored across the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) in southern Africa and the performance of three different methods in detecting degradation was assessed using reference data. Breaks for Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) Monitor was used to [...] Read more.
Forest cover and vegetation degradation was monitored across the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) in southern Africa and the performance of three different methods in detecting degradation was assessed using reference data. Breaks for Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) Monitor was used to identify potential forest cover and vegetation degradation using Landsat Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) time series data. Parametric probability-based magnitude thresholds, non-parametric random forest in conjunction with Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) time series, and the combination of both methods were evaluated for their suitability to detect degradation for six land cover classes ranging from closed canopy forest to open grassland. The performance of degradation detection was largely dependent on tree cover and vegetation density. Satisfactory accuracies were obtained for closed woodland (user’s accuracy 87%, producer’s accuracy 71%) and closed forest (user’s accuracy 92%, producer’s accuracy 90%), with lower accuracies for open canopies. The performance of the three methods was more similar for closed canopies and differed for land cover classes with open canopies. Highest user’s accuracy was achieved when methods were combined, and the best performance for producer’s accuracy was obtained when random forest was used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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12 pages, 4199 KiB  
Article
Characterization of S-Band Dual-Polarized Radar Data for the Convective Rain Melting Layer Detection in A Tropical Region
by Feng Yuan, Yee Hui Lee, Yu Song Meng and Jin Teong Ong
Remote Sens. 2018, 10(11), 1740; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs10111740 - 05 Nov 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3031
Abstract
In the tropical region, convective rain is a dominant rain event. However, very little information is known about the convective rain melting layer. In this paper, S-band dual-polarized radar data is studied in order to identify both the stratiform and convective rain melting [...] Read more.
In the tropical region, convective rain is a dominant rain event. However, very little information is known about the convective rain melting layer. In this paper, S-band dual-polarized radar data is studied in order to identify both the stratiform and convective rain melting layers in the tropical region, with a focus on the convective events. By studying and analyzing the above-mentioned two types of rain events, amongst three radar measurements of reflectivity ( Z ), differential reflectivity ( Z DR ), and cross correlation coefficient ( ρ HV ), the latter one is the best indicator for convective rain melting layer detection. From two years (2014 and 2015) of radar and radiosonde observations, 13 convective rain melting layers are identified with available 0 °C isothermal heights which are derived from radiosonde vertical profiles. By comparing the melting layer top heights with the corresponding 0 °C isothermal heights, it is found that for convective rain events, the threshold to detect melting layer should be modified to ρ HV = 0.95 for the tropical region. The melting layer top and bottom heights are then estimated using the proposed threshold, and it is observed from this study that the thickness of convective rain melting layer is around 2 times that of stratiform rain melting layer which is detected by using the conventional ρ HV = 0.97 . Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing of Tropical Environmental Change)
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