| Title | Detecting landscape changes in high latitude environments using Landsat trend analysis: 1. visualization |
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| Author | Fraser, R H ;
Olthof, I; Kokelj, S V; Lantz, T C; Lacelle, D; Brooker, A; Wolfe, S; Schwarz, S |
| Source | Remote Sensing 6, 11, 2014 p. 11533-11557, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs61111533  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2014 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20150081 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| Related | This publication is related to Detecting landscape changes
in high latitude environments using Landsat trend analysis: 2. classification |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Northwest Territories |
| NTS | 75; 85; 95; 86; 96; 97; 105; 106; 107; 115; 116; 117 |
| Lat/Long WENS | -140.0000 -110.0000 70.0000 60.0000 |
| Subjects | geophysics; environmental geology; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; Economics and Industry; remote sensing; LANDSAT; LANDSAT imagery; environmental studies; environmental impacts; fires;
permafrost; ground ice; periglacial features; thermokarst; slumps; vegetation; surface waters; lakes; rivers; erosion; shoreline changes; fluvial systems; Trends; retrogressive thaw flows; Resource development; Urban development; cumulative effects;
permafrost thaw; Climate change |
| Illustrations | location maps; Landsat images; schematic diagrams; graphs; photographs; aerial photographs |
| Program | Remote Sensing Science |
| Released | 2014 11 20 |
| Abstract | Satellite remote sensing is a promising technology for mapping natural and anthropogenic changes occurring in remote, northern high latitude environments. It offers the potential to scale-up in-situ,
local environmental monitoring efforts to document disturbance types, extents, and frequencies at regional scales. Here we present a simple, but effective means of visually assessing landscape disturbances in northern environments using trend
analysis of Landsat satellite image stacks. Linear trends of the Tasseled Cap brightness, greenness, and wetness indices, when composited into an RGB image, portray a wide range of interpretable changes based on additive color logic. Using a variety
of reference datasets within Northwest Territories, Canada, we show that the trend composites are effective for identifying wildfire regeneration, tundra greening, fluvial dynamics, thermokarst processes including lake surface area changes and
retrogressive thaw slumps, and the footprint of resource development operations and municipal development. Interpretation of the trend composites is aided by a color wheel legend and contextual information related to the size, shape, and location of
change features. A companion paper in this issue (Olthof and Fraser) is focused on quantitative methods for classifying these changes. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Satellite remote sensing is a promising technology for mapping natural and anthropogenic changes occurring in remote, northern high latitude
environments. It offers the potential to scale-up local monitoring efforts to document disturbance types, extents, and frequencies at regional scales. We present a simple, but effective means of visually assessing landscape disturbances in northern
environments using trend analysis of Landsat satellite imagery. Linear trends of three vegetation indices, when composited into an RGB image, portray a wide range of interpretable changes. Using a variety of reference datasets within NWT, we show
that the trend composites are effective for identifying wildfire regeneration, tundra greening, lake area changes, thaw slumps, and the footprint of resource development. It is envisioned that NWT environmental and land management agencies could use
the trend products to flag the occurrence of previously undetected landscape changes for further investigation or to quantify the nature and distribution of known disturbances. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 296559 |
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