Dynamic Monitoring of Plant Cover and Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing, Mathematical Modeling, Computer Simulation and GIS Techniques — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Dynamic Monitoring of Plant Cover and Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing, Mathematical Modeling, Computer Simulation and GIS Techniques
College of Geographical Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
,
Dandong Center for Oases Research, Dandong, China;
,
School of Bio-Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China;
,
School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China;
,
National Satellite Meteorological Center, Meteorological Administration, Beijing, China;
,
Dandong Bureau of Environment Protection, Dandong, China;
,
Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
1 College of Geographical Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
2 Dandong Center for Oases Research, Dandong, China;
3 School of Bio-Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, China;
4 School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China;
5 National Satellite Meteorological Center, Meteorological Administration, Beijing, China;
6 Dandong Bureau of Environment Protection, Dandong, China;
7 Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Dynamic monitoring of plant cover and soil erosion often uses remote sensing data, especially for estimating the plant cover rate (vegetation coverage) by vegetation index. However, the latter is influenced by atmospheric effects and methods for correcting them are still imperfect and disputed. This research supposed and practiced an indirect, fast, and operational method to conduct atmospheric correction of images for getting comparable vegetation index values in dif ferent times. It tries to find a variable free from atmospheric effects, e.g., the mean vegetation coverage value of the whole study area, as a basis to reduce atmospheric correction parameters by establishing mathematical models and conducting simulation calculations. Using these parameters, the images can be atmospherically corrected. And then, the vegetation index and corresponding vegetation coverage values for all pixels, the vegetation coverage maps and cover age grade maps for different years were calculated, i.e. , the plant cover monitoring was realized. Using the vegetation coverage grade maps and the ground slope grade map from a DEM to generate soil erosion grade maps for different years, the soil erosion monitoring was also realized. The results show that in the study area the vegetation coverage was the lowest in 1976, much better in 1989, but a bit worse again in 2001. Towards the soil erosion, it had been mitigated continuously from 1976 to 1989 and then to 2001. It is interesting that a little decrease of vegetation coverage from 1989 to 2001 did not lead to increase of soil erosion. The reason is that the decrease of vegetation coverage was chiefly caused by urbanization and thus mainly occurred in very gentle terrains, where soil erosion was naturally slight. The results clearly indicate the details of plant cover and soil erosion change in 25 years and also offer a scientific founda tion for plant and soil conservation .
KeywordsAtmospheric CorrectionField MeasurementModelingRegressionSimulationSoil ErosionVegetation CoverageVegetation Index
J. R. Fan, J. H. Zhang, X. H. Zhong, S. Z. Liu and H. P. Tao, “Monitoring of Soil Erosion and Assessment for Contribution of Sediments to Rivers in a Typical Watershed of the Upper Yangtze River Basin,” Land Degrad & Develop, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2004, pp. 411-421.
O. Cerdan, N. Baghdadi, C. King and A. Couturier, “Soil Erosion Modeling at the Catchment Scale Using Remote Sensing,” Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 7, 2005.
Z. Y. Jiang, A. R. Huete, J. Chen, Y. H. Chen, J. Li, G. J. Yan and X. Y. Zhang, “Analysis of NDVI and Scaled Difference Vegetation Index Retrievals of Vegetation Fraction,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 101, No. 3, 2006, pp. 366-378. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2006.01.003
A. Goener, R. Gloaguen and F. Makeschin, “Monitoring of the Ecuadorian Mountain Rainforest with Remote Sensing,” Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2007.
N. B. Chang, M. Han, W. Yao, L. C. Chen and S. G. Xu, “Change Detection of Land Use and Land Cover in an Urban Region with SPOT-5 Images and Partial Lanczos Extreme Learning Machine,” Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2010.
C. G. Homer, C. L. Aldridge, D. K. Meyer and S. J. Schell, “Multi-Scale Remote Sensing Sagebrush Characterization with Regression Trees over Wyoming, USA: Laying a Foundation for Monitoring,” International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2012, pp. 233-244. doi:10.1016/j.jag.2011.09.012
M. A. J. Wulder, C. White, S. Coggins, S. M. Ortlepp and N. C. Coops, “Digital High Spatial Resolution Aerial Imagery to Support Forest Health Monitoring: The Mountain Pine Beetle Context,” Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2012, Article ID: 062527.
R. B. King, “Land Cover Mapping Principles: A Return to Interpretation Fundamentals,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 23, No. 18, 2002, pp. 3525-3545. doi:10.1080/01431160110109606
G. Rees, M. Williams and P. Vitebsky, “Mapping Land Cover Change in a Reindeer Herding Area of the Russian Arctic Using Landsat TM and ETM+ Imagery and Indigenous Knowledge,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 85, No. 4, 2003, pp. 441-452. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(03)00037-3
J. D. Tarpley, S. R. Schneider and R. L. Money, “Global Vegetation Indices from NOAA-7 Meteorological Satellite,” Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology, Vol. 23, No. 3, 1984, pp. 491-494. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1984)023 2.0.CO;2
J. R. G. Townshend, T. E. Goff and C. J. Tucker, “Multitemporal Dimensionality of Images of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index at Continental Scales,” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 23, No. 6, 1985, pp. 888-895. doi:10.1109/TGRS.1985.289474
N. A. Drake, X. Y. Zhang, E. Berkhout, R. Bonifacio, D. I. F. Grimes, J. Wainwright and M. Mulligan, “Modelling Soil Erosion at Global and Regional Scales Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques,” In: P. M. Atkinson and N. J. Tale, Eds., Advances in Remote Sensing and GIS Analysis, John & Sons, New York, 1999, pp. 241-261.
B. C. Rundquist, “The Influence of Canopy Green Vegetation Fraction on Spectral Measurements over Native Tall Grass Prairie,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 81, No. 1, 2002, pp. 129-135. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(01)00339-X
P. P. Singh, S. Roy and F. N. Kogan, “Vegetation and Temperature Condition Indices from NOAA AVHRR Data for Drought Monitoring over India,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 24, No. 22, 2003, pp. 4393-4402. doi:10.1080/0143116031000084323
P. Durante, C. Oyonarte and F. Valladares, “Influence of Land-Use Types and Climatic Variables on Seasonal Patterns of NDVI in Mediterranean Iberian Ecosystems,” Journal of Applied Vegetation Science, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2009, pp. 177-185.
G. X. Wang, G. Gertner, S. F. Fang and A. B. Anderson, “Mapping Multiple Variables for Predicting Soil Loss by Geostatistical Methods with TM Images and a Slope Map,” Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, Vol. 69, No. 8, 2003, pp. 889-898.
R. L. Gaffer, D. C. Flanagan, M. L. Denight and B. A. Engl, “Geographical Information System Erosion Assessment at a Military Training Site,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 63, No. 1, 2008, pp. 1-10. doi:10.2489/jswc.63.1.1
M. F. Winchell, S. H. Jackson, A. M. Wadley and R. Srinivasan, “Extension and Validation of a Geographic Information System-Based Method for Calculating the Revised Universal Soil. Loss Equation Length-Slope Factor for Erosion Risk Assessments in Large Watershed,” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Vol. 63, No. 3, 2008, pp. 105-111. doi:10.2489/jswc.63.3.105
S. K. Saha, “Water and Wind Induced Soil Erosion Assessment and Monitoring Using Remote Sensing and GIS,” In: M. V. K. Sivakumar, P. S. Roy, K. Harsen and S. K. Saha, Eds., Satellite Remote Sensing and GIS Application in Agricultural Meteorology, Dehra Dun, 2004, pp. 315-330.
M. K. Hazarika and K. Honda, “Estimation of Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing and GIS, Its Valuation and Economic Implications on Agricultural Production,” In: D. E. Stott, R. H. Mohtar and G. C. Steinhardt, Eds., Sustaining the Global Farm, 2001, pp. 1090-1093.
R. Quinonez-Pinón, A. Mendoza-Durán and C. Valeo, “Design of an Environmental Monitoring Program Using NDVI and Cumulative Effects Assessment,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 28, No. 7, 2007, pp. 1643-1644. doi:10.1080/01431160600887730
Z. Y. Zeng, “Fully Automatic Mapping for Vegetation and Soil Erosion Monitoring Using Remote Sensing, Mathematical Modelling and GIS Techniques,” Proceedings of the 20th international cartographic conference: Mapping the 21st Century, Beijing, 6-10 August 2001, pp. 702-709.
Z. Y. Zeng, “2004. Study on Computer Classification of Satellite Images and Application in Geoscience,” Science Press, Beijing, 2004. (In Chinese).
R. E. Turner and M. M. Spencer, “Atmospheric Model for Correction of Spacecraft Data,” Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, Ann Arbor, 2-6 October 1972.
K. J. Thome, D. L. Helder, D. Aaron and J. D. Dewald, “Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-7 ETM+ Absolute Radiometric Calibration Using the Reflectance-Based Method,” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 42, No. 12, 2004, pp. 2777-2785. doi:10.1109/TGRS.2004.839085
E. Vermote, D. Tanre, J. L. Deuze, M. Herman and J. J. Morcette, “Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum: An Overview,” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 35, No. 3, 1997, pp. 675-686. doi:10.1109/36.581987
U. S. Geological Survey, “Landsat Data Users Handbook,” EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, 1979, pp. 33-38.
Y. Kaufman, “The Atmospheric Effect on Remote Sensing and Its Correction,” In: G. Asrar, Ed., Theory and Applications of Optical Remote Sensing, John Wiley, New York, 1989, pp. 336-428.
P. M. Mather, “Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems,” In: P. M. Mather, Ed., TERRA-I: Understanding the Terrestrial Environment, Taylor & Francis, London-Washington DC, 1992, pp. 211-219.
Z. G. Wang, Z. H. Hu, Z. Y. Wei, J. R. Xu, C. H. Wang and Z. G. Ren, “Soil Erosion Control and Damland System Agriculture in Weijiayu Watershed,” In: J. M. Laflen, J. L. Tian and C. H. Huang, Eds., Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming, CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, New York, Washington DC, 2000, pp. 81-91.
D. C. Li and D. M. Shi, “Application of Satellite Remote Sensing Techniques for Monitoring Dynamic Change of Soil Erosion in Xingguo County,” Soil and Water Conserv in China, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1998, pp. 29-32 (in Chinese).
P. Heckbert, “Color Image Quantization for Frame Buffer Display,” Computer Graphics, Vol. 16, No. 3, 1982, pp. 297-307. doi:10.1145/965145.801294
ILWIS Department, International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC), “ILWIS 2.1 for Windows, The Integrated Land and Water Information System,” User’s Guide, Enschede, 1997, pp. 213-216.
D. S. Liu and Z. Y. Zeng, “Mathematic Method and Modelling in the Research of Soil and Environment,” Agriculture Press, Beijing, 1987, pp. 197-202 (in Chinese).
Z. J. Gu, Z. Y. Zeng, X. Z. Shi, D. S. Yu, W. Zheng, Z. L. Zhang and Z. F. Hu, “A Model Calculating Vegetation Fractional Coverage from ETM+ Imagery,” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2008, pp. 771-776. (In Chinese)
Z. J. Gu, Z. Y. Zeng, X. Z. Shi, D. S. Yu, W. Zheng, Z. L. Zhang and Z. F. Hu, “Estimation Models of Vegetation Fractional Coverage (VFC) Based on Remote Sensing Image at Different Radiometric Correction Level,” Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2008, pp. 1296-1302 (in Chinese).
Z. X. Zhang, X. L. Peng, X. F. Chen and J. Y. liu, “Mountain Soil Erosion Mapping in Central Tibet Using Remote Sensing and GIS,” The 4th International Symposium on High Mountain Remote Sensing Cartography, Karlstad-Kirula-Troms, 19-29 August 1996, pp. 255-263. http://www.kfunigrazac.at/geowww/hmrst/pdfs/hmvsc4/zhEA.hm4.PDF
D. C. Li, X. R. Shi and B. Zhou, “Dynamic Monitoring of Soil Erosion in Mountains and Hills Area in the Southern China Using Remote Sensing,” Proceedings of the 8th National Symposium on Remote Sensing, Nanning, 19-25 December 1993, pp. 324-327 (in Chinese).
Z. Y. Zeng, “A New Method of Data Transformation for Satellite Images: I. Methodology and Transformation Equations for TM Images,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 28, No. 18, 2007, pp. 4095-4124. doi:10.1080/01431160601028912
Z. Y. Zeng, “A New Method of Data Transformation for Satellite Images: II. Transformation Equations for SPOT, NOAA, IKONOS, Quick Bird, ASTER, MSS and Other Images and Application,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 28, No. 18, 2007, pp. 4125-4155. doi:10.1080/01431160601030082
L. Zhang and Z. C. Li, “The English-Chinese Technical and Scientific Dictionary,” Chemical Industry Press, Beijing, 1997 (in Chinese).