Monitoring Land Use Cover in Two Watersheds of Utah Lake Using A 2011-Landsat Digital Imagery and Ancillary Data
Location
ECC 305
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
4-3-2012 1:50 PM
End Date
4-3-2012 2:10 PM
Description
The June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP) was established in 2002 for the purpose of recovering the endangered June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), a lake sucker endemic to Utah Lake, north-central Utah, USA. The Provo river and American Fork watersheds are important tributaries of the Utah lake ecosystem and constitute the pivotal spawning habitat for June sucker. However, records show that spawning suitability and recruitment have been reduced in the last years due to habitat alteration. Land use determination provides the basis for assessing anthropogenic land use changes and habitat deterioration. In order to evaluate anthropogenic disturbances in the two watersheds, we used a combination of GPS points collected in the field and points extracted from a 12-inch resolution aerial image to train a land use model in a 2011- Landsat scene. We then established the spectral signatures and statistically isolated four land use categories: Forest, Urban, Shrubland and Agriculture. From the entire image, we clipped the watershed areas, using the official USGS’s watershed delineation files. Finally, we employed a hybrid classification, a combination of supervised (SEE-5 software) and unsupervised classifications to isolate the pixels representing the four classes. A preliminary map showed a comparison of land uses of all two watersheds, illustrating the one with the highest anthropogenic intervention, the largest urban and agriculture areas. Using this preliminary model, we plan to map historical land use spatial distribution using a 1984-2012-time series of Landsat images. The procedure established in this study proved invaluable in tracking major land use changes and providing recommendations regarding June sucker habitat augmentation practices to these watersheds.
Monitoring Land Use Cover in Two Watersheds of Utah Lake Using A 2011-Landsat Digital Imagery and Ancillary Data
ECC 305
The June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP) was established in 2002 for the purpose of recovering the endangered June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), a lake sucker endemic to Utah Lake, north-central Utah, USA. The Provo river and American Fork watersheds are important tributaries of the Utah lake ecosystem and constitute the pivotal spawning habitat for June sucker. However, records show that spawning suitability and recruitment have been reduced in the last years due to habitat alteration. Land use determination provides the basis for assessing anthropogenic land use changes and habitat deterioration. In order to evaluate anthropogenic disturbances in the two watersheds, we used a combination of GPS points collected in the field and points extracted from a 12-inch resolution aerial image to train a land use model in a 2011- Landsat scene. We then established the spectral signatures and statistically isolated four land use categories: Forest, Urban, Shrubland and Agriculture. From the entire image, we clipped the watershed areas, using the official USGS’s watershed delineation files. Finally, we employed a hybrid classification, a combination of supervised (SEE-5 software) and unsupervised classifications to isolate the pixels representing the four classes. A preliminary map showed a comparison of land uses of all two watersheds, illustrating the one with the highest anthropogenic intervention, the largest urban and agriculture areas. Using this preliminary model, we plan to map historical land use spatial distribution using a 1984-2012-time series of Landsat images. The procedure established in this study proved invaluable in tracking major land use changes and providing recommendations regarding June sucker habitat augmentation practices to these watersheds.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2012/AllAbstracts/37