Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2017, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 196-205
Assessment of arid ecosystems dynamics based on the results of automated processing of multispectral satellite imagery time series
R. Kharazmi
1 , E.А. Panidi
1 , L.N. Chaban
2 1 Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2 Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography, Moscow, Russia
Accepted: 15.05.2017
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2017-14-3-196-205
Detection of changes on the Earth's surface allows to assess spatiotemporal patterns of land evolution and to determine their quantitative parameters. This study is aimed on the assessment of seasonal dynamics of the Hamoun Wetlands located in the Sistan Basin (delta of the Helmand River, eastern part of Iran and western part of Afghanistan). The dynamics of the lake depends directly on water amounts in the rivers flowing from the remote sources. Climate and anthropogenic factors influence strongly the dynamics of the analyzed territory. The authors used multispectral Landsat imagery acquired during the past 30 years. The supervised maximum likelihood imagery classification algorithm was used to detect changes in the study area. Lands were classified into four generalized types (water surface, flooded vegetation, grasslands and bare land). Changes in areas of these types were studied in order to quantify changes of lands. The calendar seasons over the past 30 years were taken into account. Obtained results show that the estimates of land type dynamics based on data collected in spring and summer seasons demonstrate higher convergence than the estimates based on data collected in spring and autumn seasons. The results of the overall (averaged over all seasons) assessment show that there was a significant decrease in the areas of vegetation cover and water surfaces in 2000–2004. In addition, it was revealed (by comparing data for 1987, 2001 and subsequent years) that the area of wastelands in the region can increase significantly due to the decrease of water bodies and flooded areas. Obtained results can be used for planning monitoring campaigns and study of changes in natural ecosystems of arid regions.
Keywords: multispectral imagery, Helmand River, landcover change, Hamoun Wetlands, Sistan Basin
Full textReferences:
- Karkon Varnosfaderani M.M., Kharazmi R.S., Shapovalov D.A., Mitrofanov E.M., Otsenka tochnosti vizual'nogo deshifrirovaniya rastitel'novo pokrova na osnove vegetatsionnykh indeksov (na primere Zagrosa, zapadny Iran) (Accuracy ranking of plant cover visual photo interpretation based on vegetation indices (by example of the Zagros mountains, west Iran)), Izvestiya vuzov Geodeziya i aerofotos"emka, 2016, Vol. 4, pp. 90–93.
- Okimbekov U.V., Afganistan: problemy sovmestnogo ispol'zovaniya vod transgranichnykh rek (Afghanistan: the problem of sharing water of transboundary rivers), Aziya i Afrika segodnya, 2013, No. 10, pp. 39–43.
- Kharazmi R., Panidi E.A., Karkon Varnosfaderani M., Evaluation of dynamics of the arid ecosystems using satellite image time series, Sovremennyye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2016, No. 5, pp. 214–223.
- Kharazmi R.S., Chaban L.N., Analiz dinamiki ekosistem basseina Sistan po rezul’tatam avtomatizirovannoi obrabotki kosmicheskikh mul’tispektral’nykh snimkov (Analysis of dynamics of the Sistan Basin ecosystems using the results of automated processing of the multispectral satellite imagery), Izvestiya vuzov. Geodeziya i aerofotos”emka, 2015, Vol. 4, pp. 94–100.
- Chaban L.N., Teoriya i algoritmy raspoznavanie obrazov (Theory and algorithms of the pattern recognition). Moscow: MIIGAiK, 2004, 70 p.
- Chandra A.M., Ghosh S.K., Distantsionnoe zondirovanie i geograficheskie informatsionnye sistemy (Remote sensing and geographical information systems), Moscow: Tekhnosfera, 2008, 208 p.
- Ekhtesasi M.R., Gohari Z., Determining Area Affected by Dust Storms in Different Wind Speeds, Using Satellite Images (Case Study: Sistan Plain, Iran), DESERT, Vol. 17, 2013, pp. 193–202.
- Rashki A., Eriksson P.G., Rautenbach C.J. de W., Kaskaoutis D.G., Grote W., Dykstra J., Assessment of chemical and mineralogical characteristics of airborne dust in the Sistan region, Iran, Chemosphere, 2013, Vol. 90, pp. 227–236.
- Rashki A., Kaskaoutis D.G., Francois P., Kosmopoulos P.G., Legrand M., Dust-storm dynamics over Sistan region, Iran: Seasonality, transport characteristics and affected areas, Aeolian Research, Vol. 16, 2015, pp. 35–48.
- Rashki A., Kaskaoutis D.G., Rautenbach C.J. de W., Eriksson P.G., Qiang M., Gupta P., Dust storms and their horizontal dust loading in the Sistan region, Iran, Aeolian Research, 2012, Vol. 5, pp. 51–62.
- Van Beek E., Bozorgy B., Vekerdy Z., Meijer K., Limits to agricultural growth in the Sistan Closed Inland Delta, Iran, Irrigation and Drainage Systems, 2008, Vol. 22, pp. 131–143.
- Vekerdy Z., Dost R., Reinink G., Partow H., History of environmental change in the Sistan Basin based on satellite image analysis: 1976-2005, UNEP, 2006, 60 p.
- Whitney J.W., Geology, Water, and Wind in the Lower Helmand Basin, Southern Afghanistan. Prepared under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International development, 2006, 50 p.
- Zobeiri M., Majd A.R., An introduction to remote sensing technology and its application in natural resources. University of Tehran, 2011, 313 p. (In Persian).