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Title: Mapping Black Mangrove Along the South Texas Gulf Coast Using AISA+ Hyperspectral Imagery

Author
item Yang, Chenghai
item Everitt, James
item Fletcher, Reginald
item JENSEN, RYAN - INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item MAUSEL, PAUL - INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Biennial Workshop on Aerial Photography, Videography, and High Resolution Digital Imagery for Resource Assessment Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/30/2007
Publication Date: 3/15/2008
Citation: Yang, C., Everitt, J.H., Fletcher, R.S., Jensen, R.R., Mausel, P.W. 2007. Mapping black mangrove along the south texas gulf coast using AISA+ hyperspectral imagery. Biennial Workshop on Aerial Photography, Videography, and High Resolution Digital Imagery for Resource Assessment Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary: Mangrove wetlands are economically and ecologically important ecosystems and accurate assessment of these wetlands with remote sensing can assist in their management and conservation. This study examined airborne hyperspectral imagery and image compression and classification techniques for mapping black mangrove populations along the south Texas Gulf coast. Image analysis and accuracy assessment showed that black mangrove could be detected and mapped with at least 91% accuracy. These results indicate that airborne hyperspectral imagery combined with image processing and classification techniques can be effective for monitoring and mapping black mangrove distributions in coastal environments.

Technical Abstract: Mangrove wetlands are economically and ecologically important ecosystems and accurate assessment of these wetlands with remote sensing can assist in their management and conservation. This study was conducted to evaluate airborne hyperspectral imagery and image compression and classification techniques for mapping black mangrove [Avicennia germinans (L.) L.] populations on the south Texas Gulf coast. AISA+ hyperspectral imagery was acquired from two study sites and a minimum noise fraction (MNF) transformation was used to reduce the spectral dimensionality of the imagery. Four classification methods, including minimum distance, Mahalanobis distance, maximum likelihood, and spectral angle mapper (SAM), were applied to the hyperspectral imagery and to the MNF imagery for distinguishing black mangrove from associated plant species [cattail (Typha domingensis Pers.), mixed herbaceous species, and mixed woody species] and other cover types (algae flats, bare soil, roads, and water). Accuracy assessment showed that overall accuracy varied from 84% to 95% for site 1 and from 69% to 91% for site 2 among the eight classifications for each site. The transformed MNF imagery provided more consistent classification results than the original hyperspectral imagery among the four classification methods. Producer’s and user’s accuracies for black mangrove were 91% and 94%, respectively, for site 1 and both 91% for site 2 based on the maximum likelihood method applied to the MNF imagery. These results indicate that airborne hyperspectral imagery combined with image processing and classification techniques can be a useful tool for monitoring and mapping black mangrove distributions in coastal environments.