Classifying Wetlands Vegetation Coverage with Remote Sensing Techniques at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT
Location
Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
3-29-2011 10:15 AM
End Date
3-29-2011 10:20 AM
Description
The research studies the spread of a common reed called Phragmites australis. Phragmites is an invasive reed that grows rapidly and decreases plant and animal biodiversity in wetlands throughout the US. In the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge wetlands which are the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, Phragmites is out-competing more beneficial plant species. Knowing the coverage of Phragmites in the refuge can help Refuge managers monitor and control Phragmites spread and support efforts to maintain the diversity of the Refuge ecosystem, provide a healthy habitat for migratory birds and native animals, and prevent aquatic vegetation with higher wildlife value from being replaced.
In May 2010, airborne multispectral imagery of the refuge was acquired to produce maps of the current vegetation coverage in the refuge. A total of 260 points were ground-truthed within the refuge to observe vegetation spectral signatures featured on the digital imagery. These images were processed using the ERDAS Imagine software and analyzed using supervised classification techniques to estimate the vegetation coverage of the different wetland species and identify the abundance and spread of Phragmites as well as presence of native vegetation types (cattail, bulrush and other marsh species; wet meadow species such as salt grass, spike rush as well as playas dry, flooded and with salicornia) within the refuge.
The resulting product is a classified image of the refuge which allowed calculating the coverage of the different vegetation and water in the management units of interest. As next steps, the 2010 classified imagery will be compared to airborne imagery obtained in 1992 to study Phragmites spread over time.
Classifying Wetlands Vegetation Coverage with Remote Sensing Techniques at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT
Eccles Conference Center
The research studies the spread of a common reed called Phragmites australis. Phragmites is an invasive reed that grows rapidly and decreases plant and animal biodiversity in wetlands throughout the US. In the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge wetlands which are the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, Phragmites is out-competing more beneficial plant species. Knowing the coverage of Phragmites in the refuge can help Refuge managers monitor and control Phragmites spread and support efforts to maintain the diversity of the Refuge ecosystem, provide a healthy habitat for migratory birds and native animals, and prevent aquatic vegetation with higher wildlife value from being replaced.
In May 2010, airborne multispectral imagery of the refuge was acquired to produce maps of the current vegetation coverage in the refuge. A total of 260 points were ground-truthed within the refuge to observe vegetation spectral signatures featured on the digital imagery. These images were processed using the ERDAS Imagine software and analyzed using supervised classification techniques to estimate the vegetation coverage of the different wetland species and identify the abundance and spread of Phragmites as well as presence of native vegetation types (cattail, bulrush and other marsh species; wet meadow species such as salt grass, spike rush as well as playas dry, flooded and with salicornia) within the refuge.
The resulting product is a classified image of the refuge which allowed calculating the coverage of the different vegetation and water in the management units of interest. As next steps, the 2010 classified imagery will be compared to airborne imagery obtained in 1992 to study Phragmites spread over time.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2011/Posters/13