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Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments

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A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 21854

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nikos Papadopoulos

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Geophysical Satellite Remote Sensing and Archaeoenvironment (GeoSat ReSeArch Lab), Institute for Mediterranean Studies (IMS), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Rethymno, Greece
Interests: archaeological geophysics; remote sensing; geoinformatics in cultural/natural heritage and environmental management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Athos Agapiou

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology, Saripolou 2-8, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
Interests: remote sensing for cultural heritage; optical image processing analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments” aims to enrich the current knowledge for the wetland properties by approaching the subject from a completely different perspective. It is well known that these environments, including coastal, brackish, freshwater, and forested areas, are among the most important ecosystems on Earth. Wetlands are located at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic systems either in rural or urban regions and so often have high biodiversity and species density. Human history is also strongly linked to wetland environments, as numerous cultures have taken advantage of their abundant resources to establish sustainable civilizations and important socio-economic centers. Unfortunately, modern growth in the developing world has caused the destruction and drainage of wetlands at alarming rates in order to expand agricultural, domestic, or industrial activities. Nowadays, the beneficial values of wetlands are globally recognized, thus leading to targeted environmental, legal, and management actions for their conservation and protection.

The unique characteristics of wetlands require multidisciplinary scientific efforts for their effective and holistic study. During the last three decades, satellite and ground remote sensing methods have undergone major breakthroughs in terms of advanced satellite systems with high spatial and spectral resolution, geophysical instrumentation, modified field strategies, and automated processing algorithms for the efficient reconstruction of the shallow subsurface in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this direction, these methods can provide a new layer of information that can augment standard wetland research approaches, thereby enhancing the framework for designing and implementing optimum wetland management policies.

Potential topics of the Special Issue “Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments ” include but are not limited to the following:

Development of novel applications and methods for a better understanding of wetland environments
Satellite remote sensing, terrestrial, aquatic, and airborne geophysics for wetland characterization
Research approaches in wetland environments integrating geophysics with satellite remote sensing and/or aerial imaging
Satellite remote sensing and geophysical monitoring of the spatial and temporal dynamics of wetland environments
Development of novel algorithms/tools based on the integration of satellite and ground-based measurements
Studies regarding the changes in wetland environments as a result of the modern growth, climate change, etc.
Reconstructing the evidence of human use in ancient coasts and submerged landscapes in shallow low-energy environments

Review articles covering one or more of these topics are also welcome

Dr. Nikos Papadopoulos
Dr. Athos Agapiou
Guest Editors

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

Satellite remote sensing
geophysics
data integration
wetlands
natural and cultural environment

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 8455 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Satellite-Derived Bathymetry from High and Medium-Resolution Sensors Using Empirical Methods

by Evagoras Evagorou, Athanasios Argyriou, Nikos Papadopoulos, Christodoulos Mettas, George Alexandrakis and Diofantos Hadjimitsis

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(3), 772; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14030772 - 07 Feb 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3126

Abstract

This study evaluates the accuracy of bathymetric maps generated from multispectral satellite datasets acquired from different multispectral sensors, namely the Worldview 2, PlanetScope, and the Sentinel 2, in the bay of Elounda in Crete. Image pre-processing steps were implemented before the use of the three empirical methods for estimating bathymetry. A dedicated correction and median filter have been applied to minimize noise from the sun glint and the sea waves. Due to the spectral complexity of the selected study area, statistical correlation with different numbers of bands was applied. The analysis indicated that blue and green bands obtained the best results with higher accuracy. Then, three empirical models, namely the Single Band Linear Algorithm, the Multiband Linear Algorithm, and the Ratio Transform Algorithm, were applied to the three multispectral images. Bathymetric and error distribution maps were created and used for the error assessment of results. The accuracy of the bathymetric maps estimated from different empirical models is compared with on-site Single beam Echo Sounder measurements. The most accurate bathymetric maps were obtained using the WorldView 2 and the empirical model of the Ratio Transform algorithm, with the RMSE reaching 1.01 m. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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22 pages, 5585 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiscale Variability and the Comparison of Ground and Satellite Radar Based Measures of Peatland Surface Motion for Peatland Monitoring

by Chris Marshall, Henk Pieter Sterk, Peter J. Gilbert, Roxane Andersen, Andrew V. Bradley, Andrew Sowter, Stuart Marsh and David J. Large

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(2), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14020336 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3254

Abstract

Peatland surface motion is highly diagnostic of peatland condition. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) can measure this at the landscape scale but requires ground validation. This necessitates upscaling from point to areal measures (80 × 90 m) but is hampered by a lack of data regarding the spatial variability of peat surface motion characteristics. Using a nested precise leveling approach within two areas of upland and low-lying blanket peatland within the Flow Country, Scotland, we examine the multiscale variability of peat surface motion. We then compare this with InSAR timeseries data. We find that peat surface motion varies at multiple scales within blanket peatland with decreasing dynamism with height above the water table e.g., hummocks < lawn < hollows. This trend is dependent upon a number of factors including ecohydrology, pool size/density, peat density, and slope. At the site scale motion can be grouped into central, marginal, and upland peatlands with each showing characteristic amplitude, peak timing, and response to climate events. Ground measurements which incorporate local variability show good comparability with satellite radar derived timeseries. However, current limitations of phase unwrapping in interferometry means that during an extreme drought/event InSAR readings can only qualitatively replicate peat movement in the most dynamic parts of the peatland e.g., pool systems, quaking bog. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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23 pages, 4664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Resolution Direct Push Sensing in Wetland Geoarchaeology—First Traces of Off-Site Construction Activities at the Fossa Carolina

by Johannes Rabiger-Völlmer, Johannes Schmidt, Ulrike Werban, Peter Dietrich, Lukas Werther, Stefanie Berg, Andreas Stele, Birgit Schneider, Hans von Suchodoletz, Susanne Lindauer, Sven Linzen, Ronny Stolz, Dennis Wilken, Peter Ettel and Christoph Zielhofer

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(22), 4647; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13224647 - 18 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1908

Abstract

Wetland environments, with their excellent conservation conditions, provide geoarchaeological archives of past human activities. However, the subsurface soil is difficult to access due to high groundwater tables, unstable sediments, and the high cost of excavation. In this study, we present a ground-based non- and minimal-invasive prospection concept adapted to the conditions of wetlands. We investigated the Fossa Carolina in South Germany, a canal that was intended in 792/793 AD by Charlemagne to bridge the Central European Watershed. Although the resulting Carolingian banks and the fairway with wooden revetments are very imposing, archaeological traces of off-site construction activities have not been identified hitherto. Based on a geophysically surveyed intensive linear magnetic anomaly parallel to the Carolingian canal, we aimed to prove potential off-site traces of Carolingian construction activities. In this context, we built up a high-resolution cross-section using highly depth-accurate direct push sensing and ground-truthing. Our results showed the exact geometry of the canal and the former banks. Thus, the magnetic mass anomaly could be clearly located between the buried organic-rich topsoil and the Carolingian banks. The thermoluminescence dating showed that the position of the magnetic mass anomaly reflected Carolingian activities during the construction phases, specifically due to heat exposure. Moreover, we found hints of the groundwater supply to the 5-metre wide navigable fairway. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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22 pages, 15041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterizing Wetland Inundation and Vegetation Dynamics in the Arctic Coastal Plain Using Recent Satellite Data and Field Photos

by Zhenhua Zou, Ben DeVries, Chengquan Huang, Megan W. Lang, Sydney Thielke, Greg W. McCarty, Andrew G. Robertson, Jeff Knopf, Aaron F. Wells, Matthew J. Macander and Ling Du

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(8), 1492; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13081492 - 13 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2773

Abstract

Arctic wetlands play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and are experiencing disproportionate impacts from climate change. Even though Alaska hosts 65% of U.S. wetlands, less than half of the wetlands in Alaska have been mapped by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) or other high-resolution wetlands protocols. The availability of time series satellite data and the development of machine learning algorithms have enabled the characterization of Arctic wetland inundation dynamics and vegetation types with limited ground data input. In this study, we built a semi-automatic process to generate sub-pixel water fraction (SWF) maps across the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska using random forest regression and 139 Sentinel-2 images taken in ice-free seasons from 2016 to 2019. With this, we characterized the seasonal dynamics of wetland inundation and explored their potential usage in determining NWI water regimes. The highest levels of surface water expression were detected in June, resulting from seasonal active layer thaw and snowmelt. Inundation was most variable in riverbeds, lake and pond margins, and depressional wetlands, where water levels fluctuate substantially between dry and wet seasons. NWI water regimes that indicate frequent inundation, such as permanently flooded wetlands, had high SWF values (SWF ≥ 90%), while those with infrequent inundation, such as temporarily flooded wetlands, had low SWF values (SWF < 10%). Vegetation types were also classified through the synergistic use of a vegetation index, water regimes, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data, topographic data, and a random forest classifier. The random forest classification algorithms demonstrated good performance in classifying Arctic wetland vegetation types, with an overall accuracy of 0.87. Compared with NWI data produced in the 1980s, scrub-shrub wetlands appear to have increased from 91 to 258 km² over the last three decades, which is the largest percentage change (182%) among all vegetation types. However, additional field data are needed to confirm this shift in vegetation type. This study demonstrates the potential of using time series satellite data and machine learning algorithms in characterizing inundation dynamics and vegetation types of Arctic wetlands. This approach could aid in the creation and maintenance of wetland inventories, including the NWI, in Arctic regions and enable an improved understanding of long-term wetland dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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17 pages, 23387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shallow Offshore Geophysical Prospection of Archaeological Sites in Eastern Mediterranean

by Nikos Papadopoulos

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(7), 1237; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13071237 - 24 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2754

Abstract

Geophysical prospecting methods have been extensively used to outline buried antiquities in terrestrial sites. Despite the frequent application of these mapping and imaging approaches for the detection of archaeological relics in deep-water marine environments (e.g., shipwrecks), the aforementioned processes have minimal contribution when it comes to understanding the dynamics of the past in coastal and shallow aquatic archaeological sites. This work explores the possibilities of multicomponent geophysical techniques in revealing antiquities that have been submerged in diverse shallow coastal marine environments in the eastern Mediterranean. A group of four sites in Greece (Agioi Theodoroi, Olous, Lambayanna) and Cyprus (Pafos) spanning from prehistory to Roman times were chosen as test sites to validate the efficiency of electrical resistivity tomography, magnetic gradiometry, and ground penetrating radar methods. The comprehensive analysis of the geophysical data completed the picture for the hidden archeological elements in all the sites. The results manifest the significance and the potential of these methods for documenting and understanding the complex archaeological sites encountered in the Mediterranean. In view of climate change and the risks related to future sea level rise and erosion of low-level coastal areas, the results of this work could be integrated in a strategic framework to develop an effective interdisciplinary research model that can be applied to similar shallow water archaeological surveys, thus substantially contributing towards cultural resources management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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12 pages, 6857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Automated High-Resolution Time Series Mapping of Mangrove Forests Damaged by Hurricane Irma in Southwest Florida

by Matthew J. McCarthy, Brita Jessen, Michael J. Barry, Marissa Figueroa, Jessica McIntosh, Tylar Murray, Jill Schmid and Frank E. Muller-Karger

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(11), 1740; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12111740 - 28 May 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4690

Abstract

In September of 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall within the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve of southwest Florida (USA) as a category 3 storm with winds in excess of 200 km h⁻¹. We mapped the extent of the hurricane’s impact on coastal land cover with a seasonal time series of satellite imagery. Very high-resolution (i.e., <5 m pixel) satellite imagery has proven effective to map wetland ecosystems, but challenges in data acquisition and storage, algorithm training, and image processing have prevented large-scale and time-series mapping of these data. We describe our approach to address these issues to evaluate Rookery Bay ecosystem damage and recovery using 91 WorldView-2 satellite images collected between 2010 and 2018 mapped using automated techniques and validated with a field campaign. Land cover was classified seasonally at 2 m resolution (i.e., healthy mangrove, degraded mangrove, upland, soil, and water) with an overall accuracy of 82%. Digital change detection methods show that hurricane-related degradation was 17% of mangrove forest (~5 km²). Approximately 35% (1.7 km²) of this loss recovered one year after Hurricane Irma. The approach completed the mapping approximately 200 times faster than existing methods, illustrating the ease with which regional high-resolution mapping may be accomplished efficiently. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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Other

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14 pages, 2319 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Salt Marsh Elevation Limit Determined after Subsidence from Hydrologic Change and Hydrocarbon Extraction

by R. Eugene Turner and Yu Mo

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13010049 - 25 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1930

Abstract

Levee construction aboveground and hydrocarbon removal from belowground in coastal wetlands can create hydrologic changes that increase plant stress through flooding. But the significance of the subsidence they cause individually or in combination is contested. This study untangled them to demonstrate elevational limits of salt marshes by studying dredged and natural waterways in two salt marshes in Louisiana, USA. The areas had a homogenous plant cover before drilling for oil and gas extraction peaked in the 1960s, and now are a mixed network of natural waterways and dredged canals used to drill wells with an average drill date of 1965.8 ± 2.7 (µ ± 1 SEM; n = 18) and well depth of 4661.0 m ± 56.6 (µ ± 1 SEM; n = 18). Aerial imagery was used to document how canals widened to become 2 to 4 times larger than their original construction width at the high production site and 50% larger at the low production site, whereas increases at the nearby natural channels were much less. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurements at the high production site from 2002 showed that the marsh surface near wells subsided by 34 cm compared to undredged sites. Elevation in marshes at producing and dry wells were equal at the low production site, but high production well locations were even lower than at dry wells. An elevation vs. percent open water curve developed from these data overlapped with an independent analysis of a brackish marsh. A relative subsidence rate between 7.4 to 10.4 mm y⁻¹ transformed these salt marshes to an open water habitat within a few decades. The local creation of accommodation space through hydrocarbon removal and leveed wetlands is a parsimonious explanation for the spatial and temporal land loss rates on this deltaic coast over the last 80 years of oil and gas exploration. Substantial losses from the accelerating rates of sea level rise are indicated to occur before 2050. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite and Ground Remote Sensing for Wetland Environments)

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