Mapping saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) and other riparian and agricultural vegetation in the Lower Colorado River region using multi-spectral Landsat TM imagery

作者：Sridhar, Balaji B Maruthi^*; Vincent, Robert K; Clapham, Wentworth B; Sritharan, Subramania I; Osterberg, John; Neale, Christopher M U; Watts, Doyle R

来源：Geocarto International, 2010, 25(8): 649-662.

DOI：10.1080/10106049.2010.521857

• Colorado river
• invasive plant
• Landsat
• riparian
• spectral reflectance
• saltcedar

Saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima), an invasive shrub species, has successfully invaded large extents of several riparian zones in the western United States and northern Mexico. Mapping the distribution and abundance of saltcedar over these large areas through a multi-seasonal, cost-effective monitoring approach using satellite remote sensing is very essential. Ground truth surveys were conducted at 79 locations where the spectral reflectance measurements of vegetation, type of plant species, plant heights, soil samples and GPS co-ordinates were recorded. All the sampling was designed to coincide with the satellite overpass period. The Landsat TM colour-composite spectral ratio image (normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI), R-1,R-5 and R-1,R-7 as green, blue and red) can clearly identify and map the areas infested with saltcedar. The Landsat image analysis shows that these spectral ratios can be applied to multiple satellite overpasses for monitoring the seasonal progression of the saltcedar growth over time.

• 出版日期2010