Relationships among soil fertility dynamics and remotely sensed measures across pasture chronosequences in Rondônia, Brazil

This study analyzed the relationships between soil fertility and remotely sensed measures over three pasture chronosequence sites in the state of Rondônia, in the western Brazilian Amazon region. Remotely sensed measures included shade, nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), green vegetation (GV) and soil (derived from spectral mixture analysis), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). These were correlated against soil fertility parameters such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and base saturation. In temporal analysis, it was observed that NPV dominated the spectral responses of pasture canopies and tended to increase with pasture age as well. The increase of NPV appeared to be related to the decline of soil fertility, but soil texture variation also played a role. In the correlation analysis, soil P, known as the most limiting nutrient for pasture productivity, showed the highest correlation with remotely sensed measures, followed by soil K and base saturation. However, this result was not observed at the sites where nutrient availability was very low.     

Evaluation of hyperspectral data for pasture estimate in the Brazilian Amazon using field and imaging spectrometers

We used two hyperspectral sensors at two different scales to test their potential to estimate biophysical properties of grazed pastures in Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon. Using a field spectrometer, ten remotely sensed measurements (i.e., two vegetation indices, four fractions of spectral mixture analysis, and four spectral absorption features) were generated for two grass species, Brachiaria brizantha and Brachiaria decumbens. These measures were compared to above ground biomass, live and senesced biomass, and grass canopy water content. The sample size was 69 samples for field grass biophysical data and grass canopy reflectance. Water absorption measures between 1100 and 1250 nm had the highest correlations with above ground biomass, live biomass and canopy water content, while ligno-cellulose absorption measures between 2045 and 2218 nm were the best for estimating senesced biomass. These results suggest possible improvements on estimating grass measures using spectral absorption features derived from hyperspectral sensors. However, relationships were highly influenced by grass species architecture. B. decumbens, a more homogeneous, low growing species, had higher correlations between remotely sensed measures and biomass than B. brizantha, a more heterogeneous, vertically oriented species. The potential of using the Earth Observing-1 Hyperion data for pasture characterization was assessed and validated using field spectrometer and CCD camera data. Hyperion-derived NPV fraction provided better estimates of grass surface fraction compared to fractions generated from convolved ETM+/Landsat 7 data and minimized the problem of spectral ambiguity between NPV and Soil. The results suggest possible improvement of the quality of land-cover maps compared to maps made using multispectral sensors for the Amazon region.     

Agricultural land-use change in Brazilian Amazônia between 1980 and 1995: Evidence from integrated satellite and census data

As cropland and pasture have replaced forest and cerrado in Brazilian Amazônia, concern has mounted over the effects of changing the biogeochemical and hydrological properties of one of the world's great storehouses of biomass and biodiversity. Although much recent effort has focused on the location, effects, and causes of deforestation and cerrado conversion, much less is known about the basin-wide spatial distribution and density of the land use following conversion for crops or pasture.In this paper, we use census and satellite records to develop maps of the distribution and abundance of major agricultural land uses across 4.5×10⁸ ha of Brazilian Amazônia in 1980 and 1995. Results indicate an overall expansion of 7.0×10⁶ ha in total agricultural area in Brazilian Amazônia between 1980 and 1995. The net change during this period is estimated for three different land-use types: croplands (an increase of 0.8×10⁶ ha), natural pastures (a decrease of 8.4×10⁶ ha), and planted pastures (an increase of 14.7×10⁶ ha). These estimates, the first spatially explicit quantifications of agricultural land-use activities in 1980 and 1995 across Brazilian Amazônia, are shown to be consistent with the results of applying a land use change and secondary regrowth model to published deforestation rates for the period.The resulting time slices, presented for each land-use category at 5-min (∼9 km) spatial resolution, allow for the quantification of land-use changes in this region for biogeochemical, demographic and economic models. Several foci of agricultural change existed within Brazilian Amazônia during this period: in the state of Pará, cropland was lost and planted pasture increased markedly; in Mato Grosso, both cropland and planted pasture increased; in Rondônia, planted pasture replacing forest was the primary route to agricultural expansion.     

Soil adjusted vegetation water content retrievals in grasslands

Soil contamination of canopy reflectance over grasslands can cause errors in empirical vegetation water content (VWC) retrievals using the NDII (Normalized Difference Infrared Index, [ρ_0.86?ρ_1.64]/[ρ_0.86+ρ_1.64]). Minimization of soil contamination by NDII relies on the existence of a quasi straight soil line and quasi straight VWC isolines (lines of equal VWC) in the 1.64–0.86 µm reflectance space. Further the VWC isolines are expected to meet at the origin of the 1.64–0.86 µm reflectance space. Considering soil moisture as the primary determinant of soil reflectance variation at a given location, this study investigates the effect of soil moisture on the nature of soil lines and VWC isolines under grassland conditions. Reflectance simulations from coupled soil‐leaf‐canopy reflectance models under grassland conditions show that soil lines and VWC isolines are expected to be curved and may not converge at the origin. This behaviour is attributed to disproportionate soil moisture related absorption processes operating at 1.64 µm and 0.86 µm. A new technique that accounts for these inconsistencies in NDII assumptions is proposed for VWC retrievals. The technique consists of using separate regression relationships between VWC and a Soil Adjusted NDII (SANDII) based on the volumetric soil moisture category of the background. SANDII, based on the idea borrowed from the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) is an origin shifted transformation of NDII. The optimum origin that reduces VWC retrieval errors is shown to be soil moisture category specific. The proposed technique requires categorical soil moisture information in order to decide which regression relationship to apply for VWC retrievals. Climatology, meteorological models or microwave observations are expected to be reliable resources for such categorical soil moisture information. Evaluations of the proposed technique using simulated reflectances showed that absolute errors in VWC retrievals were reduced by an average 20% as compared to the traditional NDII regression method. Such improvements are expected to be significant for fire‐risk applications. Finally supporting evidence for the need of an origin translated NDII is provided using data collected over pastures during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) field campaign.     

Quantitative mapping of pasture biomass using satellite imagery

A knowledge of the amount of pasture biomass available in farm paddocks is crucial for improving utilization and productivity in the Australian grazing industry. A method to quantitatively map the biomass of annual pastures under grazing has been developed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from high-resolution satellite imagery. Relationships between field-measured pasture biomass and the NDVI were examined for different transects in paddocks under different grazing regimes across three geographically dispersed farm sites. A significant linear relationship (R ² = 0.84) was observed when the NDVI was regressed against biomass. The slope of the relationship between the NDVI and biomass declined in a highly predictable (R ² = 0.82) exponential form as the growing season progressed and this pattern was consistent across four separate seasons. This knowledge was used to formulate a reliable model to predict paddock average pasture biomass using the NDVI. The model estimates were validated against observed biomass in the range 500–4000 kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kg DM ha^–1) with R ² = 0.85 and a standard error of 315 (kg DM ha^–1).     

Linear mixture model applied to Amazonian vegetation classification

Many research projects require accurate delineation of different secondary succession (SS) stages over large regions/subregions of the Amazon basin. However, the complexity of vegetation stand structure, abundant vegetation species, and the smooth transition between different SS stages make vegetation classification difficult when using traditional approaches such as the maximum likelihood classifier (MLC). Most of the time, classification distinguishes only between forest/non-forest. It has been difficult to accurately distinguish stages of SS. In this paper, a linear mixture model (LMM) approach is applied to classify successional and mature forests using Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery in the Rondônia region of the Brazilian Amazon. Three endmembers (i.e., shade, soil, and green vegetation or GV) were identified based on the image itself and a constrained least-squares solution was used to unmix the image. This study indicates that the LMM approach is a promising method for distinguishing successional and mature forests in the Amazon basin using TM data. It improved vegetation classification accuracy over that of the MLC. Initial, intermediate, and advanced successional and mature forests were classified with overall accuracy of 78.2% using a threshold method on the ratio of shade to GV fractions, a 7.4% increase over the MLC. The GV and shade fractions are sensitive to the change of vegetation stand structures and better capture biophysical structure information.     

Remote sensing of vegetation water content from equivalent water thickness using satellite imagery

Vegetation water content (VWC) is one of the most important parameters for the successful retrieval of soil moisture content from microwave data. Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII) is a widely-used index to remotely sense Equivalent Water Thickness (EWT) of leaves and canopies; however, the amount of water in the foliage is a small part of total VWC. Sites of corn (Zea mays), soybean (Glycine max), and deciduous hardwood woodlands were sampled to estimate EWT and VWC during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2005 (SMEX05) near Ames, Iowa, USA. Using a time series of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) imagery, NDII was related to EWT with R² of 0.85; there were no significant differences among land-cover types. Furthermore, EWT was linearly related to VWC with R² of 0.87 for corn and 0.48 for soybeans, with a significantly larger slope for corn. The 2005 land-cover classification product from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service had an overall accuracy of 92% and was used to spatially distribute VWC over the landscape. SMEX05 VWC versus NDII regressions were compared with the regressions from the Soil Moisture Experiment 2002 (SMEX02), which was conducted in the same study area. No significant difference was found between years for corn (P = 0.13), whereas there was a significant difference for soybean (P = 0.04). Allometric relationships relate the size of one part of a plant to the sizes of other parts, and may be the result from the requirements of structural support or material transport. Relationships between NDII and VWC are indirect, NDII is related to canopy EWT, which in turn is allometrically related to VWC.     

Multi-scale linkages between topographic attributes and vegetation indices in a mountainous landscape

This paper addresses a few issues that are fundamental for the understanding of vegetation-topography relations: scale dependency, seasonal variability, and importance of observing individual properties. Particularly, it uses two statistical tools - Pearson's r and Moran's I - to define relationships of several topographic attributes with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII), and their seasonal changes (from May to July and then September) in the Mediterranean-type landscape of the Santa Monica Mountains, California. The analyses are conducted at both the original data resolution and 20 aggregated resolutions, covering a total range of 30 m to 1500 m, so that topography-vegetation relationships can be compared at different scales. Large sample sizes have supported the significance of the following main findings for this landscape. First, elevation, slope, and southness are the most relevant primary topographic attributes among the tested attributes and their importance changes across seasons. Second, NDVI, NDII, and their seasonal variations have notably different relationships (including no relationship) with topography. Third, the observed topography-vegetation correlations (r) tend to change - typically increase - with the coarsening of spatial scale. Lastly, the spatial autocorrelation of vegetation variables and topographic attributes are often comparable, and the comparability is more apparent when topography-vegetation correlations are stronger. In all, the topography-NDVI/NDII relations defined in this paper may improve the understanding of the multi-scale and property-specific role that mountain topography plays in the formation and seasonal change of vegetation patterns.     

Studies of land-cover, land-use, and biophysical properties of vegetation in the Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere experiment in Amazônia

We summarize early research on land-cover, land-use, and biophysical properties of vegetation from the Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere (LBA) experiment in Amazônia. LBA is an international research program developed to evaluate regional function and to determine how land-use and climate modify biological, chemical and physical processes there. Remote sensing has played a fundamental role in LBA in research planning, land-cover mapping and in long-term monitoring of changes in land-cover and land-use at multiple scales. This special issue includes 12 papers that cover a range in spatial scales from regional mapping to local scales that cover only a portion of a Landsat scene. Several themes dominate, including land-cover mapping with an emphasis on wetlands and second-growth forest, evaluation of pasture sustainability and forest degradation and the impact of land-cover change on stream chemistry. New techniques introduced include automated Monte Carlo unmixing (AutoMCU) and several new approaches for mapping land-cover. A diversity of sensors are utilized, including ETM+, IKONOS, SPOT-4, Airborne P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and L-band SAR. Census data are fused with an existing land-cover map to generate spatially explicit estimates of land-use from historical data. Several papers include important, new field measures of species composition, forest structure and biomass in mature forest and secondary succession.     

基于MODIS遥感数据的宏观土地覆盖特征分类方法与精度分析研究

针对宏观土地覆盖遥感分类的现状,充分利用MODIS相对于AVHRR数据具有的多光谱和分辨率优势,提出了利用MODIS数据进行分类特征选择与提取并结合多时相特征进行宏观土地覆盖分类的分类方法,并在中国山东省进行了分类试验,得出以下结论:①不同比例下的训练样本与验证样本影响着总体分类精度;②从MODIS数据中得到的植被指数EVI、白天地表温度Tday、水体指数NDWI、纹理特征局部平稳Homogeneity等可以作为分类特征配合参与到多波段地表反射率Ref1-7遥感影像中,能明显提高分类精度,而土壤亮度指数NDSI则没有贡献;③提取的分类特征对总体分类精度贡献大小为:EVI贡献最大,提高近6个百分点,其次是Homogeneity、NDWI,均提高近4个百分点,而最少的Tday也贡献了近3个百分点;④各分类特征对不同地物类别具有不同的分离度,在提高某些类别的分离性时,有可能降低了其它类别的分离性。试验结果表明:在没有其它非遥感信息的前提下,仅利用MODIS遥感自身信息对宏观土地覆盖分类就可达到较高精度。     

基于MODIS遥感数据的宏观土地覆盖特征分类方法与精度分析研究

针对宏观土地覆盖遥感分类的现状,充分利用MODIS相对于AVHRR数据具有的多光谱和分辨率优势,提出了利用MODIS数据进行分类特征选择与提取并结合多时相特征进行宏观土地覆盖分类的分类方法,并在中国山东省进行了分类试验,得出以下结论:①不同比例下的训练样本与验证样本影响着总体分类精度;②从MODIS数据中得到的植被指数EVI、白天地表温度Tday、水体指数NDWI、纹理特征局部平稳Homogeneity等可以作为分类特征配合参与到多波段地表反射率Ref1-7遥感影像中,能明显提高分类精度,而土壤亮度指数NDSI则没有贡献;③提取的分类特征对总体分类精度贡献大小为:EVI贡献最大,提高近6个百分点,其次是Homogeneity、NDWI,均提高近4个百分点,而最少的Tday也贡献了近3个百分点;④各分类特征对不同地物类别具有不同的分离度,在提高某些类别的分离性时,有可能降低了其它类别的分离性。试验结果表明:在没有其它非遥感信息的前提下,仅利用MODIS遥感自身信息对宏观土地覆盖分类就可达到较高精度。     

Upscaling ground observations of vegetation water content, canopy height, and leaf area index during SMEX02 using aircraft and Landsat imagery

Microwave-based remote sensing algorithms for mapping soil moisture are sensitive to water contained in surface vegetation at moderate levels of canopy cover. Correction schemes require spatially distributed estimates of vegetation water content at scales comparable to that of the microwave sensor footprint (10¹ to 10⁴ m). This study compares the relative utility of high-resolution (1.5 m) aircraft and coarser-resolution (30 m) Landsat imagery in upscaling an extensive set of ground-based measurements of canopy biophysical properties collected during the Soil Moisture Experiment of 2002 (SMEX02) within the Walnut Creek Watershed. The upscaling was accomplished using expolinear relationships developed between spectral vegetation indices and measurements of leaf area index, canopy height, and vegetation water content. Of the various indices examined, a Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), derived from near- and shortwave-infrared reflectances, was found to be least susceptible to saturation at high levels of leaf area index. With the aircraft data set, which did not include a short-wave infrared water absorption band, the Optimized Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI) yielded best correlations with observations and highest saturation levels. At the observation scale (10 m), LAI was retrieved from both NDWI and OSAVI imagery with an accuracy of 0.6, vegetation water content at 0.7 kg m⁻², and canopy height to within 0.2 m. Both indices were used to estimate field-scale mean canopy properties and variability for each of the intensive soil-moisture-sampling sites within the watershed study area. Results regarding scale invariance over the SMEX02 study area in transformations from band reflectance and vegetation indices to canopy biophysical properties are also presented.     

基于压缩数据维的城市建筑用地遥感信息提取

通过压缩数据维的方式，研究城市建筑用地信息准确提取的原理和方法。通过对城市土地利用类型的分析，选取了归一化差异建筑指数、修正归一化差异水体指数和土壤调节植被指数来代表城市建成区的3种最主要地类——建筑用地、水体和植被。通过将ETM 影像原有的7个波段压缩为由它们衍生的这3个采用比值运算构成的指数波段，大大压缩了数据维数、减少了数据的相关度并降低了不同地类的光谱混淆性。因此采用简单的最大似然分类和掩膜处理技术，就可以将城市建筑用地信息提取出来，其精度可达91．2％。     

Modeling gross primary production of temperate deciduous broadleaf forest using satellite images and climate data

Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂ between the atmosphere and forest ecosystems is determined by gross primary production (GPP) of vegetation and ecosystem respiration. CO₂ flux measurements at individual CO₂ eddy flux sites provide valuable information on the seasonal dynamics of GPP. In this paper, we developed and validated the satellite-based Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), using site-specific CO₂ flux and climate data from a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest at Harvard Forest, Massachusetts, USA. The VPM model is built upon the conceptual partitioning of photosynthetically active vegetation and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) within the leaf and canopy. It estimates GPP, using satellite-derived Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Water Index (LSWI), air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Multi-year (1998-2001) data analyses have shown that EVI had a stronger linear relationship with GPP than did the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Two simulations of the VPM model were conducted, using vegetation indices from the VEGETATION (VGT) sensor onboard the SPOT-4 satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor onboard the Terra satellite. The predicted GPP values agreed reasonably well with observed GPP of the deciduous broadleaf forest at Harvard Forest, Massachusetts. This study highlighted the biophysical performance of improved vegetation indices in relation to GPP and demonstrated the potential of the VPM model for scaling-up of GPP of deciduous broadleaf forests.     

一种基于植被指数的遥感影像决策树分类方法

以江苏省徐州市为研究区,采用2000年ETM+多光谱影像作为遥感信息源,选择影像的光谱特征和归一化植被指数（NDVI）、绿度植被指数（GVI）、比值植被指数（RVI）等10种植被指数作为分类特征,基于See5决策树学习软件构建分类决策树,实现了研究区景观格局的遥感分类。研究结果表明,决策树分类法易于综合多种特征进行遥感影像的分类,植被指数参与到决策树分类中能够提高分类的总体精度。     

MODIS数据在树种长势监测中的应用

近年来,世界各国日益重视利用“3S”(遥感、地理信息系统和全球定位系统)技术对陆地表面植被进行研究。利用Terra-MODIS数据,分别采用了归一化植被指数(NDVI)、环境植被指数(EVI)、土壤调节植被指数(SAVI)以及比值植被指数(RVI)对实验区典型树种的长势进行了比较研究;同时对实验区典型树种的植被指数的地域变化和时间变化进行了分析,为探讨我国可燃物的时空变化规律打下了基础。     

Land‐cover mixing and spectral vegetation indices

Vegetation indices have been widely used as indicators of seasonal and inter‐annual variations in vegetation caused by either human activities or climate, with the overall goal of observing and documenting changes in the Earth system. While existing satellite remote sensing systems, such as NASA's Multi‐angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are providing improved vegetation index data products through correcting for the distortions in surface reflectance caused by atmospheric particles as well as ground covers below vegetation canopy, the impact of land‐cover mixing on vegetation indices has not been fully addressed. In this study, based on real image spectral samples for two‐component mixtures of forest and common nonforest land‐cover types directly extracted from a 1.1?km MISR image by referencing a 30?m land‐cover classification, the effect of land‐cover mixing on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) has been quantitatively evaluated. When the areal fraction of forest was lower than 80%, both NDVI and EVI varied greatly with mixed land‐cover types, although EVI varied less than NDVI. Such a phenomenon can cause errors in applications based on use of these vegetation indices. This study suggests that methods that reduce land‐cover mixing effects should be introduced when developing new spectral vegetation indices.     

Near real-time Feed On Offer (FOO) from MODIS for early season grazing management of Mediterranean annual pastures

Near real-time estimation of Feed On Offer (FOO) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data was developed to help farmers improve their grazing management during early growth of annual pastures to maximize grass utilization for wool production. Data were collected from 72 fields on 15 farms in southwestern Australia. From these data, an exponential relationship at the field scale between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) estimated from MODIS and FOO data was derived for the vegetative growth phase for FOO between 0 and 2000 kg ha^–1 (R ²?=?0.71–0.75). This relationship transformed the dimensionless index NDVI to a dimensioned (kg ha^–1) measure of FOO, from which farmers could apply extension advice received from the Western Australian (WA) Department of Agriculture and Food Production (DAFP). Above an FOO of 2000 kg ha^–1 or when the annual pasture species began to senesce, the relationship ceased to have predictive value. Near real-time estimates of FOO from MODIS proved useful to farmers despite an apparent standard error of ±300 kg ha^–1. How to reduce the errors in FOO predicted from MODIS NDVI is also discussed.     

Bidirectional reflectance effects in NOAA AVHRR data

The bidirectional reflectance effects in NOAA AVHRR data have been investigated for forest and pasture sites in New Zealand. The impact of surface anisotropy has been examined for channel 1, channel 2, and the derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) over a 14-day period in the southern hemisphere summer of 1992/1993. Results show a bidirectional effect which persists through atmospheric correction processing and the generation of the NDVI. Comparison is made with previously published results and models, which show consistency for this limited data set.     

Assessing the seasonal dynamics of the Brazilian Cerrado vegetation through the use of spectral vegetation indices

In this study, the response of vegetation indices (VIs) to the seasonal patterns and spatial distribution of the major vegetation types encountered in the Brazilian Cerrado was investigated. The Cerrado represents the second largest biome in South America and is the most severely threatened biome as a result of rapid land conversions. Our goal was to assess the capability of VIs to effectively monitor the Cerrado and to discriminate among the major types of Cerrado vegetation. A full hydrologic year (1995) of composited AVHRR, local area coverage (LAC) data was converted to Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) values. Temporal extracts were then made over the major Cerrado vegetation communities. Both the NDVI and SAVI temporal profiles corresponded well to the phenological patterns of the natural and converted vegetation formations and depicted three major categories encompassing the savanna formations and pasture sites, the forested areas, and the agricultural crops. Secondary differences in the NDVI and SAVI temporal responses were found to be related to their unique interactions with sun-sensor viewing geometries. An assessment of the functional behaviour of the VIs confirmed SAVI responds primarily to NIR variations, while the NDVI showed a strong dependence on the red reflectance. Based on these results, we expect operational use of the MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to provide improved discrimination and monitoring capability of the significant Cerrado vegetation types.