MANGROVE ABOVE GROUND BIOMASS ESTIMATION USING COMBINATION OF LANDSAT 8 AND ALOS PALSAR DATA

Mangrove ecosystem is important coastal ecosystem, both ecologically and economically. Mangrove provides rich-carbon stock, most carbon-rich forest among ecosystems of tropical forest. It is very important for the country to have a large mangrove area in the context of global community of climate change policy related to emission trading in the Kyoto Protocol. Estimation of mangrove carbon-stock using remote sensing data plays an important role in emission trading in the future. Estimation models of above ground mangrove biomass are still limited and based on common forest biomass estimation models that already have been developed. Vegetation indices are commonly used in the biomass estimation models, but they have low correlation results according to several studies. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with capability in detecting volume scattering has potential applications for biomass estimation with better correlation. This paper describes a new model which was developed using a combination of optical and SAR data. Biomass is volume dimension related to canopy and height of the trees. Vegetation indices could provide two dimensional information on biomass by recording the vegetation canopy density and could be well estimated using optical remote sensing data. One more dimension to be 3 dimensional feature is height of three which could be provided from SAR data. Vegetation Indices used in this research was NDVI extracted from Landsat 8 data and height of tree estimated from ALOS PALSAR data. Calculation of field biomass data was done using non-decstructive allometric based on biomass estimation at 2 different locations that are Segara Anakan Cilacap and Alas Purwo Banyuwangi, Indonesia. Correlation between vegetation indices and field biomass with ALOS PALSAR-based biomass estimation was low. However, multiplication of NDVI and tree height with field biomass correlation resulted R2 0.815 at Alas Purwo and R2 0.081 at Segara Anakan.  Low correlation at Segara anakan was due to failed estimation of tree height. It seems that ALOS PALSAR height was not accurate for determination of areas dominated by relative short trees as we found at Segara Anakan Cilacap, but the result was quite good for areas dominated by high trees. To improve the accuracy of tree height estimation, this method still needs validation using more data

Reef Cover, a coral reef classification for global habitat mapping from remote sensing

Coral reef management and conservation stand to benefit from improved high-resolution global mapping. Yet classifications underpinning large-scale reef mapping to date are typically poorly defined, not shared or region-specific, limiting end-users’ ability to interpret outputs. Here we present Reef Cover, a coral reef geomorphic zone classification, developed to support both producers and end-users of global-scale coral reef habitat maps, in a transparent and version-based framework. Scalable classes were created by focusing on attributes that can be observed remotely, but whose membership rules also reflect deep knowledge of reef form and functioning. Bridging the divide between earth observation data and geo-ecological knowledge of reefs, Reef Cover maximises the trade-off between applicability at global scales, and relevance and accuracy at local scales. Two case studies demonstrate application of the Reef Cover classification scheme and its scientific and conservation benefits: 1) detailed mapping of the Cairns Management Region of the Great Barrier Reef to support management and 2) mapping of the Caroline and Mariana Island chains in the Pacific for conservation purposes

Mapping the world's coral reefs using a global multiscale earth observation framework

Coral reefs are among the most diverse and iconic ecosystems on Earth, but a range of anthropogenic pressures are threatening their persistence. Owing to their remoteness, broad spatial coverage and cross‐jurisdictional locations, there are no high‐resolution remotely sensed maps available at the global scale. Here we present a framework that is capable of mapping coral reef habitats from individual reefs (~200 km2) to entire barrier reef systems (200 000 km2) and across vast ocean extents (>6 000 000 km2). This is the first time this has been demonstrated using a consistent and transparent remote sensing mapping framework. The ten maps that we present achieved good accuracy (78% mean overall accuracy) from multiple input image datasets and training data sources, and our framework was shown to be adaptable to either benthic or geomorphic reef features and across diverse coral reef environments. These new generation high‐resolution map data will be useful for supporting ecosystem risk assessments, detecting change in ecosystem dynamics and targeting efforts to monitor local‐scale changes in coral cover and reef health

Mangrove Above Ground Biomass Estimation Using Combination Of Landsat 8 And Alos Palsar Data

Mangrove ecosystem is important coastal ecosystem, both ecologically and economically. Mangrove provides rich-carbon stock, most carbon-rich forest among ecosystems of tropical forest. It is very important for the country to have a large mangrove area in the context of global community of climate change policy related to emission trading in the Kyoto Protocol. Estimation of mangrove carbon-stock using remote sensing data plays an important role in emission trading in the future. Estimation models of above ground mangrove biomass are still limited and based on common forest biomass estimation models that already have been developed. Vegetation indices are commonly used in the biomass estimation models, but they have low correlation results according to several studies. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data with capability in detecting volume scattering has potential applications for biomass estimation with better correlation. This paper describes a new model which was developed using a combination of optical and SAR data. Biomass is volume dimension related to canopy and height of the trees. Vegetation indices could provide two dimensional information on biomass by recording the vegetation canopy density and could be well estimated using optical remote sensing data. One more dimension to be 3 dimensional feature is height of three which could be provided from SAR data. Vegetation Indices used in this research was NDVI extracted from Landsat 8 data and height of tree estimated from ALOS PALSAR data. Calculation of field biomass data was done using non-decstructive allometric based on biomass estimation at 2 different locations that are Segara Anakan Cilacap and Alas Purwo Banyuwangi, Indonesia. Correlation between vegetation indices and field biomass with ALOS PALSAR-based biomass estimation was low. However, multiplication of NDVI and tree height with field biomass correlation resulted R2 0.815 at Alas Purwo and R2 0.081 at Segara Anakan. Low correlation at Segara anakan was due to failed estimation of tree height. It seems that ALOS PALSAR height was not accurate for determination of areas dominated by relative short trees as we found at Segara Anakan Cilacap, but the result was quite good for areas dominated by high trees. To improve the accuracy of tree height estimation, this method still needs validation using more data.p.85-96 : ilus. ; 28 c