Mapping land cover and forest density in Zagros forests of Khuzestan province in Iran: A study based on Sentinel-2, Google Earth and field data

Zagros forests in western Iran have widely been destroyed because of various reasons. This study was performed to provide the land cover and forest density maps in Zagros forests of Khuzestan province using Sentinel-2, Google Earth and field data. The forest boundary in Khuzestan province was digitized in Google Earth. Sentinel-2 satellite images were provided for the study area. One 1:25000 index sheet of Iranian Mapping Organization (IMO) was selected as pilot area in the province. Sentinel-2 image of the pilot area was classified using different supervised classification algorithms to select the best algorithm for land cover mapping in Khuzestan province. In addition, to evaluate the accuracy of Google Earth data, field sampling was performed using random plots in different land covers. Field data of forest plots were applied to investigate tree canopy cover percent (forest density), as well. Classification of Sentinel-2 image in Zagros area of Khuzestan province was done using the best algorithm and the land cover was obtained. The forest density map was also obtained using a linear regression model between tree canopy cover percent (obtained from field plots) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (obtained from NDVI map). Finally, the accuracy of land cover map was assessed by some square plots on Google Earth. Results demonstrated that support vector machine (SVM) algorithm had the highest accuracy for land cover mapping. Results also showed that Google Earth images had a good accuracy in the Zagros forests of Khuzestan province. Results demonstrated that NDVI has been a good predicator to estimate tree canopy cover in the study area. Based on results, an area of 443,091.22 ha is covered by Zagros forests in Khuzestan province. Results of accuracy assessment of the land cover map showed the good accuracy of this map in Khuzestan province (overall accuracy: 91% and kappa index: 0.83). For optimum management of Zagros forests, it is suggested that the land cover and forest density mapping will be performed using SVM algorithm, NDVI, and Sentinel-2 satellite images in Zagros forests of Khuzestan province in the certain periods.     

Comparison of the use of Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and Gaofen-2 images for mapping soil pH in Dehui,northeastern China

Mapping the distribution and quantity of soil properties is important for black soil protection, management, and restoration in northeastern China. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the spatial resolution on soil pH mapping using satellite images of the black soil region in northeastern China. A high spatial resolution Gaofen (GF)-2 high-definition image and multispectral images acquired by the Landsat 8 operational land imager and Sentinel-2 multi-spectral instrument were used to compare their performance in soil pH prediction. The spectral variables, including the original bands of the three satellite images and a variety of spectral indices derived from the original bands, were employed. Then, a machine learning model (quantile regression forest) was used to determine the relationships between the spectral variables and the measured soil pH, and prediction models were established to estimate the soil pH and to characterize the spatial pattern of the soil pH. The results revealed that the soil pH prediction model based on the GF-2 image had a slightly higher prediction accuracy than the models constructed using the Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 images. The prediction models for Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and GF-2 had root mean square errors of 0.34, 0.39, and 0.31, respectively. The use of remote sensing images with a high spatial resolution may not substantially increase the prediction accuracy of soil pH mapping compared with the results derived from medium-resolution images.     

Use of multispectral satellite datasets to improve ecological understanding of the distribution of Invasive Alien Plants in a water-limited catchment,South Africa

Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) pose major threats to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and services. The availability of moderate resolution satellite data (e.g. Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument and Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager) offers an opportunity to map and monitor the occurrence and spatial distribution of IAPs. The use of two multispectral remote sensing data sets to map and monitor IAPs in the Heuningnes Catchment, South Africa, was therefore investigated using the maximum likelihood classification algorithm. It was possible to identify areas infested with IAPs using remote sensing data. Specifically, IAPs were mapped with a higher overall accuracy of 71%, using Sentinel-2 MSI as compared to using Landsat 8 OLI, which produced 63% accuracy. However, both sensors showed similar patterns in the spatial distribution of IAPs within the hillslopes and riparian zones of the catchment. This work demonstrates the utility of the two multispectral data sets in mapping and monitoring the occurrence and distribution of IAPs, which contributes to improved ecological modelling and thus to improved management of invasions and biodiversity in the catchment.     

An empirical approach for deriving specific inland water quality parameters from high spatio-spectral resolution image

Inland lake of Vembanad has benefited from continuous monitoring to evaluate water quality which has declined due to increased anthropogenic activities and climate change. Remote sensing techniques can be used to estimate and monitor inland water quality both spatially and temporally. An empirical model is presented in Vemaband lake that retrieves the specific water quality parameters through correlations between various spectral wavelengths of Sentinel-2MSI (S2MSI) with field-measured water quality parameters. This approach includes the combinations of various bands, band ratios, and band arithmetic computation of satellite sensors of spectral datasets. The specific inland water quality parameters such as chlorophyll-a (chl-a), total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and secchi disc depth (SDD) were retrieved from the developed water quality model through Sentinel-2A remote sensing reflectance. The result illustrates that Specific Inland Water Quality Parameters (SIWQP) strongly correlated with S2MSI reflection spectral wavelengths. The SIWQP models are constructed for TSS (R²?=?0.8008), Chl-a (R²?=?0.8055), Turbidity (R²?=?0.6329) and SDD (R²?=?0.7174).The spatial distribution of SIWQPs in Vembanad lake for March 2018 is mapped and shows the lake's water quality distribution. The research from Sentinel-2, MSI has potential and is appropriate in high spectral and spatial characteristics for retrieving and continuous monitoring of water quality parameters in the regional scale of inland water bodies.

     

Application of machine learning approaches for land cover monitoring in northern Cameroon

Machine learning (ML) models are a leading analytical technique used to monitor, map and quantify land use and land cover (LULC) and its change over time. Models such as k-nearest neighbour (kNN), support vector machines (SVM), artificial neural networks (ANN), and random forests (RF) have been used effectively to classify LULC types at a range of geographical scales. However, ML models have not been widely applied in African tropical regions due to methodological challenges that arise from relying on the coarse-resolution satellite images available for these areas. In this study, we compared the performance of four ML algorithms (kNN, SVM, ANN and RF) applied to LULC monitoring within the Mayo Rey department, North Province, Cameroon. We used satellite data from the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) combined with 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images of northern Cameroon for November 2000 and November 2020. Our results showed that all four classification algorithms produced relatively high accuracy (overall classification accuracy >80%), with the RF model (> 90% classification accuracy) outperforming the kNN, SVM, and ANN models. We found that approximately 7% of all forested areas (dense forest and woody savanna) were converted to other land cover types between 2000 and 2020; this forest loss is particularly associated with an expansion of both croplands and built-up areas. Our study represents a novel application and comparison of statistical and ML approaches to LULC monitoring using coarse-resolution satellite images in an African tropical forest and savanna setting. The resulting land cover maps serve as an important baseline that will be useful to the Cameroon government for policy development, conservation planning, urban planning, and deforestation and agricultural monitoring.     

联合GF-6和Sentinel-2红边波段的森林地上生物量反演

光谱反射率能反映地物差异,是森林地上生物量（Aboveground Biomass,AGB）遥感反演的理论基础。红边波段处于近红外与红光波段交界处快速变化的区域,能对植被冠层结构和叶绿素含量的微小变化做出快速反应,对植被生长状况较敏感。研究以GF-6和Sentinel-2多光谱影像作为数据源,结合野外调查AGB数据,构建落叶松和樟子松AGB线性和非线性估测模型,通过比较模型精度选择最优模型进行森林AGB反演和空间分布制图。结果表明：GF-6和Sentinel-2影像红边波段反射率与落叶松、樟子松AGB均呈显著相关（P<0.05）,红边波段对AGB估测较敏感。多变量估测模型整体估测效果优于单变量模型,所有模型中多元线性回归模型取得了最优的决定系数（落叶松R²=0.66,樟子松R²=0.65）和最低的均方根误差（落叶松RMSE=31.45 t/hm²,樟子松RMSE=54.77 t/hm²）。相比单个数据源,联合GF-6和Sentinel-2影像构建的多元线性回归模型估测效果得到了显著提升,模型RMSE对于落叶松和樟子松AGB估测分别最大降低了22.9%和11.2%。增加红边波段进行AGB估测能显著提高模型估测精度,三组数据源分别加入红边波段信息后进行建模,模型RMSE得到了显著降低。GF-6拥有800 km观测幅宽和高效的重访周期,可以快速地提供大尺度时间序列数据,在森林地上生物量反演和动态监测方面有着很大潜力。     

A land cover map of South America

A digital land cover map of South America has been produced using remotely sensed satellite data acquired between 1995 and the year 2000. The mapping scale is defined by the 1 km spatial resolution of the map grid‐cell. In order to realize the product, different sources of satellite data were used, each source providing either a particular parameter of land cover characteristic required by the legend, or mapping a particular land cover class. The map legend is designed both to fit requirements for regional climate modelling and for studies on land cover change. The legend is also compatible with a wider, global, land cover mapping exercise, which seeks to characterize the world's land surface for the year 2000. As a first step, the humid forest domain has been validated using a sample of high‐resolution satellite images. The map demonstrates both the major incursions of agriculture into the remaining forest domains and the extensive areas of agriculture, which now dominate South America's grasslands.     

基于多光谱卫星影像与机器学习算法的松材线虫病受害林分识别研究

松材线虫病(Pine Wilt Disease, PWD)被称为“松树癌症”,具有高传染率和高死亡率,对我国森林资源构成了严重的威胁,对我国的经济、社会和生态造成了重大损失。及时发现并清理疫木是遏制松材线虫病蔓延的有效手段,精准监测疫木是防控松材线虫病的前提,但是现阶段缺少大面积识别松材线虫病疫木的技术方法。本文旨在探索哨兵-2号与Landsat-8遥感卫星影像对受害松林的识别能力,采用随机森林(Random Forest, RF)、支持向量机(Support Vector Machine, SVM)、决策树(Decision Tree, DT)和极端梯度提升(Extreme Gradient Boosting, XGBoost)等4种机器学习算法建立了松材线虫病监测模型。结果表明：基于哨兵-2号影像数据建立的监测模型对受害松林的识别准确率高于Landsat-8遥感卫星影像,其中基于10 m分辨率的影像数据建立的监测模型识别准确率最高,随机森林、决策树、支持向量机和极端梯度提升等算法建立模型的准确率分别达到了79.3%、76.2%、78.7%和78.9%。在3种不同的影像数据集中,RF...     

基于Sentinel-1和Sentinel-2A的西小山林场平均树高估测

森林资源调查对于我国森林生态系统可持续发展具有重要意义,森林平均高度是森林资源调查的主要结构参数,也是获取难度最大的关键参数之一。为探究联合主被动遥感技术在估测森林平均高度方面的潜力,本研究以吉林省临江市西小山林场为研究区,利用Sentinel-1 SAR和Sentinel-2A数据,通过提取Sentinel-1的2个后向散射系数、8个纹理信息,以及Sentinel-2A的10个光谱波段及其纹理信息和11个植被指数,采用多元线性回归方法分别建立基于上述变量以及融合4类变量的5组平均树高估算模型,并评估各变量对反演精度的影响。结果表明: 单一数据源变量中,基于Sentinel-2A光谱波段提取的纹理信息建模效果较好,能够作为估算森林平均高度的有效数据;融合4类变量的森林平均高度估算模型最优,R²达0.56、留一交叉验证均方根误差为2.92 m、相对留一交叉验证均方根误差为21.5%。基于Sentinel-1与Sentinel-2A特征变量的平均树高模型能够提高森林高度的估算精度,可用于区域森林平均高度估测和制图。     

Mono-temporal and multi-temporal approaches for burnt area detection using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery (a case study of Rokan Hilir Regency,Indonesia)

Accurate and up-to-date information about the burnt area is important in estimating environmental losses, prioritizing rehabilitation areas, and determining future planning strategies. The publicly available medium resolution optical Sentinel-2 satellite data provides a practical and effective solution for burnt area detection. In this study, we proposed two different approaches using mono-temporal and multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to detect burnt areas in Rokan Hilir Regency, Indonesia. The multi-temporal approaches utilized two different ensemble machine learning algorithms (Random Forest and XGBoost) and used six composite spectral indices of the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), differenced Normalized Burn Ratio 2 (dNBR2), differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI), differenced Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (dSAVI), differenced Char Soil Index (dCSI), differenced Burnt area Index for Sentinel-2 (dBAIS2), and differenced Mid-infrared Burn Index (dMIRBI) as model inputs. The burnt areas are labeled by combining hotspots with confidence intervals above 95%, fire spots, and change detection methods. The XGBoost model achieved the best performance with an F1 score of 0.97 and an accuracy of 96%. Furthermore, we use the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to quantify the contribution of each feature as well as its correlation with the target class. The dNBR, dMIRBI, and dNBR2 indices contribute the most to the XGBoost model. In comparison, this study also investigates and compares a mono-temporal approach with One-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN-1D) architecture and the performance obtained is slightly better than both machine learning models. Overall, both mono-temporal and multi-temporal approaches satisfactorily detect the burnt area.     

Feasibility of active handheld NDVI sensors for monitoring lichen ground cover

Vegetation indices are corner stones in vegetation monitoring. However, previous field studies on lichens and NDVI have been based on passive sensors. Active handheld sensors, with their own light sources, enables high-precision monitoring under variable ambient conditions. We investigated the use of handheld sensor NDVI for monitoring pale lichen cover across three study sites from boreal heathlands to High Arctic tundra (62–79 °N), and compared it with Sentinel-2 satellite NDVI. NDVI decreased with increasing cover of pale lichens but the correlation between active and satellite NDVI varied between areas. NDVI values declined with lichen cover and ranged from 0.4–0.18 when lichen cover was above 40%. Active ground measurements of NDVI explained 81% of the variation in the satellite NDVI values in Svalbard (High Arctic), while the relationships were lower (∼30% explained variation) in boreal regions (Troms-Finnmark and Røros). We show that active sensors are feasible for extracting information from lichen-dominated vegetation.     

A modified U-net-based architecture for segmentation of satellite images on a novel dataset

The remote-sensing-based satellite images have been providing a wealth of information to the scientists for study of environmental changes caused by climate changes or human activities such as destructive cyclones and earthquakes etc. This paper proposes a deep learning-based segmentation model for agriculture images captured from satellites and a novel agriculture-based satellite dataset. The segmentation has been performed on the satellite images into five categories of cultivated land, uncultivated land, residences, water, and forest. The dataset has been created using Sentinel-2 satellite data over the Panipat district in Haryana, India having diversity in crops and land usage. The dataset consists of 16,720 images and their corresponding masks over the years ranging from 2018 to 2020. The proposed model consists of a six-phase encoder-decoder network with a total of 33 convolution layers. The proposed segmentation model has been evaluated on proposed dataset and obtained an efficient metric of 72% IoU score which is better than state-of-the-art models such as U-Net, Link-Net, FPN and DeeplabV3+ score 51%, 46%, 49%, 67% IoU respectively.     

Using multi-temporal tree inventory data in eucalypt forestry to benchmark global high-resolution canopy height models. A showcase in Mato Grosso,Brazil

The global monitoring of forest structure worldwide is increasingly being supported by refined and enhanced satellite mission datasets. Forest canopy height is a global metric to characterise and monitor dynamics in forest ecosystems worldwide. Satellite mapping missions as NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) are creating opportunities to refine global forest canopy height models adding forest structural information to time-series satellite imagery. A recent global canopy height model presented by Lang et al., (2022) using GEDI and 10-m Sentinel-2 and the map from Potapov et al., (2020) using GEDI and Landsat are both tested in this study using multi-temporal tree-level data collected over eucalypt plantations in Brazil. Our results at plot-level showed Lang et al., (2022)’s estimates of canopy height came short compared to 2020 maximum and mean tree height records in the plots, 7.6 and 3.6 m, respectively, but adding CHM standard deviation improves the agreement of ground records for maximum tree height. Higher errors were computed for the plots in 2019 using the Potapov's 30-m CHM: 14.2 and 9.5 m, respectively. Averaged stand values were more similar between the three sources tested. We report improvement from the 30-m CHM to the 10-m, but still height saturation problems were observed when accounting for height differences in tall eucalypt trees. As more global products for forest height and biomass are becoming available to users, more validation exercises as presented in this study are needed to assess the suitability of CHM products to forestry needs, and facilitate the uptake and actionability of the next generation of global height and biomass products. We provide recommendations and insights on the use of GEDI laser data for global mapping and on the potential of commercial forestry areas to benchmark the accuracy of satellite mapping missions focusing on tree height estimation in the tropics.     

The urgent need to develop a new grassland map in China: based on the consistency and accuracy of ten land cover products

Grasslands are the most dominant terrestrial ecosystem in China, but few national grassland maps have been generated. The grassland resource map produced in the 1980s is widely used as background data, but it has not been updated for almost 40 years. Therefore, a reliable map depicting the current spatial distribution of grasslands across the country is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the grassland consistency and accuracy of ten land cover datasets (GLC2000, GlobCover, CCI-LC, MCD12Q1, CLUD, GlobeLand30, GLC-FCS30, CGLS-LC100, CLCD, and FROM-GLC) for 2000, 2010, and 2020 based on extensive fieldwork. We concluded that the area of these ten grassland products ranges from 107.80×10⁴ to 332.46×10⁴ km², with CLCD and MCD12Q1 having the highest area consistency. The spatial and sample consistency is highest in the regions of east-central Inner Mongolia, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and northern Xinjiang, while the distribution of southern grasslands is scattered and differs considerably among the ten products. MCD12Q1 is significantly more accurate than the other nine products, with an overall accuracy (OA) reaching 77.51% and a kappa coefficient of 0.51; CLCD is slightly less accurate than MCD12Q1 (OA=73.02%, kappa coefficient=0.45) and is more conducive to the fine monitoring and management of grassland because of its 30-meter resolution. The highest accuracy of grassland was found in the Inner Mongolia-Ningxia region and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, while the accuracy was worst in the southeastern region. In the future grassland mapping, cartographers should improve the accuracy of the grassland distribution in South China and regions where grassland is confused with forest, cropland and bare land. We specify the availability of valuable data in existing land cover datasets for China’s grasslands and call for researchers and the government to actively produce a new generation of grassland maps.

     

Hierarchical Bayesian geostatistics for C stock prediction in disturbed plantation forest in Zimbabwe

We develop and present a novel Bayesian hierarchical geostatistical model for the prediction of plantation forest carbon stock (C stock) in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe using multispectral Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 remotely sensed data. Specifically, we adopt a Bayesian hierarchical methodology encompassing a model-based inferential framework making use of efficient Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques for assessing model input parameters. Our proposed hierarchical modelling framework evaluates the influence of two but related covariate information sources in C stock prediction in order to build sustainable capacity on carbon reporting and monitoring. The perceived improvements in the spectral and spatial properties of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 data and their potential to predict C stock with shorter uncertainty bounds is tested in the developed hierarchical Bayesian models. We utilized the Mean Squared Shortest Distance (MSSD) as the objective function for optimization of sampling locations for equal area coverage. Specifically, we evaluated the models using four selected remotely sensed vegetation indices namely, the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and an additional distance to settlements anthropogenic variable that justifies from the history of the studied plantation forest in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. We evaluated two models making use of Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 derived predictors using the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Coverage (CVG) and Deviance Information Criteria (DIC). The Sentinel-2 based C stock model resulted in RMSE of 1.16 MgCha⁻¹, MAE of 1.11 MgCha⁻¹, CVG of 94.7% and a DIC of −554.7 whilst its Landsat-8 based C stock counterpart yielded a RMSE, MAE, CVG and DIC of 2.69 MgCha⁻¹, 1.77 MgCha⁻¹, 85.4% and 43.1 respectively. Although predictive models from both sensors show great improvement in predictive accuracy when modelling the spatial random effects, the Sentinel-2 based C stock predictive model substantially outperforms its Landsat-8 based C stock counterpart. The Sentinel-2 based C stock predictive hierarchical model therefore adequately addresses multiple sources of uncertainty inherent in the spatial prediction of C stock in disturbed plantation ecosystems. It is evident from the results of this study that carbon reporting and monitoring can always be improved by scouting for improved and easily accessible remote sensing data and allow forest practitioners to keep track of error across space in resource environments of interest.     

遗传算法支持下土地利用空间分形特征尺度域的识别

针对土地利用空间分形特征只存在于有限尺度域的现象,采用无标度区内离散点拟合的离差平方和平均值最小作为目标函数,提出了一种基于遗传算法的土地利用空间分形特征尺度域的识别方法,用于准确计算分形维数的有效区间范围。以武汉市武昌区水域空间分形特征为例,利用Quickbird多光谱遥感影像提取土地利用空间信息,重点讨论了基于遗传算法识别土地利用空间分形特征尺度域范围的总体思路、适应度函数和遗传算子等环节;然后分别从测定系数、标准差和无标度区间3个角度,将其同人工判断法、相关系数法以及强化系数法进行对比讨论;并结合研究区域实际的水域空间分布格局,分析不同方法计算所得半径维数的合理性。结果表明,土地利用分形特征尺度域的范围对分形维数计算结果有较大影响;相对于传统计算方法来说,遗传算法在尺度无标度区间识别上具有更高的精度,可以为土地利用空间格局分形特征的研究提供客观指导意见。     

基于GWR模型的土地覆盖与地表温度的关系——以京津唐城市群为例

基于Landsat TM土地覆盖分类数据和MODIS地表温度数据,探讨京津唐城市群不同土地覆盖的地表温度(7日),并采用常用的普通线性回归(OLS)和地理加权回归(GWR)方法分别拟合土地覆盖比例与地表温度的关系.结果表明: 研究区不同土地覆盖类型的地表温度差异明显,人工表面(40.92±3.49 ℃)和耕地(39.74±3.74 ℃)的平均温度较高,林地(34.43±4.16 ℃)和湿地(35.42±4.33 ℃)的平均温度较低;土地覆盖比例与地表温度显著相关,且两者之间的定量关系存在空间非稳定性,地理位置以及周围环境影响的差异是空间非稳定性产生的主要原因;GWR模型的拟合结果优于OLS模型(R_GWR²>R_OLS²),并且GWR模型可以量化土地覆盖比例与地表温度两者关系的空间非稳定性特征.     

Assessing the application of a geographic presence-only model for land suitability mapping

Recent advances in ecological modeling have focused on novel methods for characterizing the environment that use presence-only data and machine-learning algorithms to predict the likelihood of species occurrence. These novel methods may have great potential for land suitability applications in the developing world where detailed land cover information is often unavailable or incomplete. This paper assesses the adaptation and application of the presence-only geographic species distribution model, MaxEnt, for agricultural crop suitability mapping in a rural Thailand where lowland paddy rice and upland field crops predominant. To assess this modeling approach, three independent crop presence datasets were used including a social-demographic survey of farm households, a remote sensing classification of land use/land cover, and ground control points, used for geodetic and thematic reference that vary in their geographic distribution and sample size. Disparate environmental data were integrated to characterize environmental settings across Nang Rong District, a region of approximately 1300 sq. km in size. Results indicate that the MaxEnt model is capable of modeling crop suitability for upland and lowland crops, including rice varieties, although model results varied between datasets due to the high sensitivity of the model to the distribution of observed crop locations in geographic and environmental space. Accuracy assessments indicate that model outcomes were influenced by the sample size and the distribution of sample points in geographic and environmental space. The need for further research into accuracy assessments of presence-only models lacking true absence data is discussed. We conclude that the MaxEnt model can provide good estimates of crop suitability, but many areas need to be carefully scrutinized including geographic distribution of input data and assessment methods to ensure realistic modeling results.     

Global land cover characterization from satellite data: from research to operational implementation?

Satellite data provide the basis for geographically referenced global land cover characterization that is internally consistent, repeatable over time, and potentially more reliable than ground-based sources. During the last 20 years considerable research efforts have been devoted to the extraction of land cover information from these data. Only during the last few years have these methods begun to be applied in operational contexts. Such applications have thus far primarily addressed key global change issues such as the global carbon balance. Examples of the successful quasi-operational implementation of remote sensing include NASA's Humid Tropical Landsat Pathfinder project, where high resolution data are being used at subcontinental scales to measure change in the areal extent of tropical rain forests throughout the world, and the Tropical Ecosystem Environment observation by Satellite (TREES) project to assess forest cover in the tropics. At coarser resolutions, a number of land cover products suitable for incorporation in global and regional models have been developed. Alternatives to traditional land cover classifications have also been developed to describe gradients and mosaics in the vegetation more realistically. These land cover products offer the possibility for applications in ecological and human dimensions research at regional and global scales, as well as for implementation of international agreements that require land cover information. Recently launched and future satellites will carry sensors that provide data with greatly improved capabilities for land cover characterization and advancements in computing environments make it feasible to take advantage of these new data. However, several challenges must be overcome in making a transition from research to operational land cover monitoring, including automation of methods to analyse the satellite data, more effective techniques for validation, and assurance of long-term continuity in the availability of satellite measurements.     

Modelling and evaluation of land use changes through satellite images in a multifunctional catchment: Social,economic and environmental implications

Floods are recurrent phenomena with significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. The risk of flooding increases when land use changes. The objective of this research is to detect land cover changes via Sentinel-2 images in the Umia Basin (Galicia, NW Spain) in 2016–2021 and to analyse the associated flood risk. This study focuses on how forest use and nature-based solutions (NBS) can reduce the risk and hazard of flooding in cities and crops in the high-risk area. A flood simulation was performed with the land use obtained from Sentinel-2 (Observed) and three more simulations were performed changing the location of afforestation and NBS, i.e. “S-Upstream”, “S-Downstream” and “S-Total”. Finally, the environmental, economic and social impacts of the scenarios designed and estimated are analysed and discussed. Land cover change was successfully monitored with Sentinel-2 imagery. The catchment area showed noteworthy changes in land use, most notably for the category of trees, which covered 6700 ha in 2016 and 10,911 ha in 2021. However riparian vegetation decreased by almost 11%. For the flood hazard simulations, an average reduction in peak discharge was obtained for all three scenarios (9.3% for S-Up; 8.6% for S-Down and 13% for S-Total). From the economic perspective, all three scenarios show a positive net present value for the period studied. However, S-Down is the scenario with the lowest benefits (€15,476,487), while S-Up and S-Total show better values at €29,580,643 and €65,158,130 respectively. However, investment cost is much higher for the S-Total scenario, and upstream actions affect the whole catchment, so S-Up is the best decision. This study concludes that the information provided by satellites is a large-scale analysis tool for small heterogeneous plots that facilitates the comprehensive analysis of a territory. This information can be incorporated into flood analysis models, facilitating simulation through the use of NBS. It has been proven that the use of reforestation upstream only is almost as beneficial as reforestation in the entire catchment and is economically more viable. This confirms that the methodology used reduces flood hazard, despite the territorial complexity, facilitating decision making on the use of NBS.