Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats
Intertidal vegetation provides important ecological functions, such as food and shelter for wildlife and ecological services with increased coastline protection from erosion. In cold temperate and subarctic environments, the short growing season has a significant impact on the phenological response...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/13/3000 |
| _version_ | 1797408279330029568 |
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| author | Brigitte Légaré Simon Bélanger Rakesh Kumar Singh Pascal Bernatchez Mathieu Cusson |
| author_facet | Brigitte Légaré Simon Bélanger Rakesh Kumar Singh Pascal Bernatchez Mathieu Cusson |
| author_sort | Brigitte Légaré |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Intertidal vegetation provides important ecological functions, such as food and shelter for wildlife and ecological services with increased coastline protection from erosion. In cold temperate and subarctic environments, the short growing season has a significant impact on the phenological response of the different vegetation types, which must be considered for their mapping using satellite remote sensing technologies. This study focuses on the effect of the phenology of vegetation in the intertidal ecosystems on remote sensing outputs. The studied sites were dominated by eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i> L.), saltmarsh cordgrass (<i>Spartina alterniflora</i>), creeping saltbush (<i>Atriplex prostrata</i>), macroalgae (<i>Ascophyllum nodosum</i>, and <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i>) attached to scattered boulders. In situ data were collected on ten occasions from May through October 2019 and included biophysical properties (e.g., leaf area index) and hyperspectral reflectance spectra (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>R</mi><mrow><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><mi>λ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>). The results indicate that even when substantial vegetation growth is observed, the variation in <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>R</mi><mrow><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><mi>λ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> is not significant at the beginning of the growing season, limiting the spectral separability using multispectral imagery. The spectral separability between vegetation types was maximum at the beginning of the season (early June) when the vegetation had not reached its maximum growth. Seasonal time series of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were derived from multispectral sensors (Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) and PlanetScope) and were validated using in situ-derived NDVI. The results indicate that the phenology of intertidal vegetation can be monitored by satellite if the number of observations obtained at a low tide is sufficient, which helps to discriminate plant species and, therefore, the mapping of vegetation. The optimal period for vegetation mapping was September for the study area. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:57:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-feb771a227f94fb593acbe8dfd117814 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:57:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
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| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-feb771a227f94fb593acbe8dfd1178142023-12-03T14:19:49ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-06-011413300010.3390/rs14133000Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal HabitatsBrigitte Légaré0Simon Bélanger1Rakesh Kumar Singh2Pascal Bernatchez3Mathieu Cusson4Département de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Chimie et Géographie, Québec-Océan et BORÉAS, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, CanadaDépartement de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Chimie et Géographie, Québec-Océan et BORÉAS, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, CanadaDépartement de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Chimie et Géographie, Québec-Océan et BORÉAS, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, CanadaDépartement de Biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Chimie et Géographie, Québec-Océan et BORÉAS, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Québec-Océan 555, Boulevard de l’Université, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, CanadaIntertidal vegetation provides important ecological functions, such as food and shelter for wildlife and ecological services with increased coastline protection from erosion. In cold temperate and subarctic environments, the short growing season has a significant impact on the phenological response of the different vegetation types, which must be considered for their mapping using satellite remote sensing technologies. This study focuses on the effect of the phenology of vegetation in the intertidal ecosystems on remote sensing outputs. The studied sites were dominated by eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i> L.), saltmarsh cordgrass (<i>Spartina alterniflora</i>), creeping saltbush (<i>Atriplex prostrata</i>), macroalgae (<i>Ascophyllum nodosum</i>, and <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i>) attached to scattered boulders. In situ data were collected on ten occasions from May through October 2019 and included biophysical properties (e.g., leaf area index) and hyperspectral reflectance spectra (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>R</mi><mrow><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><mi>λ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>). The results indicate that even when substantial vegetation growth is observed, the variation in <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mi>R</mi><mrow><mi>r</mi><mi>s</mi></mrow></msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><mi>λ</mi><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> is not significant at the beginning of the growing season, limiting the spectral separability using multispectral imagery. The spectral separability between vegetation types was maximum at the beginning of the season (early June) when the vegetation had not reached its maximum growth. Seasonal time series of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were derived from multispectral sensors (Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) and PlanetScope) and were validated using in situ-derived NDVI. The results indicate that the phenology of intertidal vegetation can be monitored by satellite if the number of observations obtained at a low tide is sufficient, which helps to discriminate plant species and, therefore, the mapping of vegetation. The optimal period for vegetation mapping was September for the study area.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/13/3000vegetation phenologyspectral signatureintertidal coastal ecosystemremote sensingeelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i> L.)saltmarsh |
| spellingShingle | Brigitte Légaré Simon Bélanger Rakesh Kumar Singh Pascal Bernatchez Mathieu Cusson Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats Remote Sensing vegetation phenology spectral signature intertidal coastal ecosystem remote sensing eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i> L.) saltmarsh |
| title | Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats |
| title_full | Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats |
| title_fullStr | Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats |
| title_short | Remote Sensing of Coastal Vegetation Phenology in a Cold Temperate Intertidal System: Implications for Classification of Coastal Habitats |
| title_sort | remote sensing of coastal vegetation phenology in a cold temperate intertidal system implications for classification of coastal habitats |
| topic | vegetation phenology spectral signature intertidal coastal ecosystem remote sensing eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i> L.) saltmarsh |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/13/3000 |
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