Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery

Efficient monitoring of marine aquaculture zones (MAZs) is crucial for facilitating coastal resource management. To achieve this, we developed a specialized deep convolutional neural network tailored for extracting MAZs from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, integrating prior analytical knowle...

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Main Authors: Wantai Chen, Xiaofeng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2024-01-01
Series:IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10490092/
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author Wantai Chen
Xiaofeng Li
author_facet Wantai Chen
Xiaofeng Li
author_sort Wantai Chen
collection DOAJ
description Efficient monitoring of marine aquaculture zones (MAZs) is crucial for facilitating coastal resource management. To achieve this, we developed a specialized deep convolutional neural network tailored for extracting MAZs from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, integrating prior analytical knowledge of MAZ imaging features. A total of 47 Sentinel-1 dual-polarized (VV and VH) SAR images spanning 2016–2023 in China's Subei Sandbanks along the Yellow Sea coast were collected due to appropriate tidal level and acquired time. We first comprehensively analyzed of normalized radar cross section (NRCS) values for MAZs under varying tidal levels and aquaculture facility structures. Rising tide-induced submergence resulted in a significant mean NRCS reduction of 7.01 dB (VV) and 4.54 dB (VH), causing MAZ signals to resemble seawater. In addition, during low tide, volume scattering from the net screen on the aquaculture rafts increased VH-polarized image recognizability, with a smaller NRCS overlap (64%) between MAZs and tidal flats compared to VV-polarized images. Hence, VH-polarized images taken during low tide with intact aquaculture facilities were selected for dataset construction due to their reliability in characterizing MAZs. Building upon the classical U-Net framework, we introduced four modifications informed by our imaging characteristics analysis to enhance the model's performance. Testing experiments demonstrated an impressive F1-score of 94.77%, highlighting the effectiveness of incorporating prior knowledge into refining deep learning models. Applying the model to SAR images from 2016 to 2023 revealed concentrated MAZs in the relatively flat southeastern Subei Sandbanks, with a noticeable scale decline post-2021 resulting in a 67.65% reduction over the years.
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spelling doaj.art-f37a32930c9a4cb69ef3062337d41b6b2024-04-19T23:00:04ZengIEEEIEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing1939-14042151-15352024-01-01178043805710.1109/JSTARS.2024.338451110490092Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR ImageryWantai Chen0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1383-8171Xiaofeng Li1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7038-5119Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, and the Center for Ocean Mega- Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, ChinaEfficient monitoring of marine aquaculture zones (MAZs) is crucial for facilitating coastal resource management. To achieve this, we developed a specialized deep convolutional neural network tailored for extracting MAZs from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, integrating prior analytical knowledge of MAZ imaging features. A total of 47 Sentinel-1 dual-polarized (VV and VH) SAR images spanning 2016–2023 in China's Subei Sandbanks along the Yellow Sea coast were collected due to appropriate tidal level and acquired time. We first comprehensively analyzed of normalized radar cross section (NRCS) values for MAZs under varying tidal levels and aquaculture facility structures. Rising tide-induced submergence resulted in a significant mean NRCS reduction of 7.01 dB (VV) and 4.54 dB (VH), causing MAZ signals to resemble seawater. In addition, during low tide, volume scattering from the net screen on the aquaculture rafts increased VH-polarized image recognizability, with a smaller NRCS overlap (64%) between MAZs and tidal flats compared to VV-polarized images. Hence, VH-polarized images taken during low tide with intact aquaculture facilities were selected for dataset construction due to their reliability in characterizing MAZs. Building upon the classical U-Net framework, we introduced four modifications informed by our imaging characteristics analysis to enhance the model's performance. Testing experiments demonstrated an impressive F1-score of 94.77%, highlighting the effectiveness of incorporating prior knowledge into refining deep learning models. Applying the model to SAR images from 2016 to 2023 revealed concentrated MAZs in the relatively flat southeastern Subei Sandbanks, with a noticeable scale decline post-2021 resulting in a 67.65% reduction over the years.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10490092/Deep convolution neural networks (DCNNs)imaging characteristicsmarine aquaculture zones (MAZs)Sentinel-1synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
spellingShingle Wantai Chen
Xiaofeng Li
Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Deep convolution neural networks (DCNNs)
imaging characteristics
marine aquaculture zones (MAZs)
Sentinel-1
synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
title Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
title_full Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
title_fullStr Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
title_full_unstemmed Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
title_short Deep-Learning-Based Marine Aquaculture Zone Extractions From Dual-Polarimetric SAR Imagery
title_sort deep learning based marine aquaculture zone extractions from dual polarimetric sar imagery
topic Deep convolution neural networks (DCNNs)
imaging characteristics
marine aquaculture zones (MAZs)
Sentinel-1
synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10490092/
work_keys_str_mv AT wantaichen deeplearningbasedmarineaquaculturezoneextractionsfromdualpolarimetricsarimagery
AT xiaofengli deeplearningbasedmarineaquaculturezoneextractionsfromdualpolarimetricsarimagery