Remote Sensing of Boreal Wetlands 1: Data Use for Policy and Management

Laura Chasmer,Brian Brisco,Joshua Montgomery,Koreen Millard,Kailyn Nelson,Michael Merchant,Olaf Niemann,Daniel Peters,Kevin Devito,Danielle Cobbaert,Craig Mahoney,Chris Hopkinson

doi:10.3390/rs12081320

Abstract

Wetlands have and continue to undergo rapid environmental and anthropogenic modification and change to their extent, condition, and therefore, ecosystem services. In this first part of a two-part review, we provide decision-makers with an overview on the use of remote sensing technologies for the ‘wise use of wetlands’, following Ramsar Convention protocols. The objectives of this review are to provide: (1) a synthesis of the history of remote sensing of wetlands, (2) a feasibility study to quantify the accuracy of remotely sensed data products when compared with field data based on 286 comparisons found in the literature from 209 articles, (3) recommendations for best approaches based on case studies, and (4) a decision tree to assist users and policymakers at numerous governmental levels and industrial agencies to identify optimal remote sensing approaches based on needs, feasibility, and cost. We argue that in order for remote sensing approaches to be adopted by wetland scientists, land-use managers, and policymakers, there is a need for greater understanding of the use of remote sensing for wetland inventory, condition, and underlying processes at scales relevant for management and policy decisions. The literature review focuses on boreal wetlands primarily from a Canadian perspective, but the results are broadly applicable to policymakers and wetland scientists globally, providing knowledge on how to best incorporate remotely sensed data into their monitoring and measurement procedures. This is the first review quantifying the accuracy and feasibility of remotely sensed data and data combinations needed for monitoring and assessment. These include, baseline classification for wetland inventory, monitoring through time, and prediction of ecosystem processes from individual wetlands to a national scale.

Highlights

Wetland processes include hydrological water cycling and biogeochemical processes, both of which maintain wetland function, carbon storage and methane emission, biological productivity, and wetland habitats, as described by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Lidar systems have been used across a wide range of applications, including landcover and wetland classification [85,213], metrics associated with vegetation structure, productivity and RemotecSheanns.g2e02[02,61]2,w13a2t0er levels [186,193], and topographic derivatives, including topographic positionin1g2 of 50 of the land surface, surface geology, and wetland connectivity (Figure 4) [97,209,233]
Hyperspectral sensors dominate in applications that require detailed mapping of wetland class and form [103] (Hymap and Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI)), species identification [69,127] (CASI, Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer (MIVIS), AVIRIS, Hyperion), productivity and foliar chemistry [162,166] (Hymap, CASI), water properties including extent, chemistry, and turbidity [191,231] (MIVIS), and mine spill detection [227]

Summary

Introduction

Wetland processes include hydrological water cycling and biogeochemical processes, both of which maintain wetland function, carbon storage and methane emission, biological productivity, and wetland habitats, as described by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. As part of these abiotic and biotic processes, a range of ecosystem services are provided that are beneficial to human populations through local economy, and sustainability and resilience of communities [1]. Monetary losses associated with the global reduction of wetland area and cumulative ecosystem services between 1997 and 2011 was estimated to be approximately 10 trillion USD per year [1]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion