Abstract
Remote sensing holds great potential for detecting stress in vegetation caused by hydrocarbons, but we need to better understand the effects of hydrocarbons on plant growth and specific spectral expression. Willow (Salix viminalis var. Tora) cuttings and maize (Zea mays var. Lapriora) seedlings were grown in pots of loam soil containing a hydrocarbon-contaminated layer at the base of the pot (crude or refined oil) at concentrations of 0.5, 5, or 50 g·kg−1. Chlorophyll concentration, biomass, and growth of plants were determined through destructive and nondestructive sampling, whilst reflectance measurements were made using portable hyperspectral spectrometers. All biophysical (chlorophyll concentration and growth) variables decreased in the presence of high concentrations of hydrocarbons, but at lower concentrations an increase in growth and chlorophyll were often observed with respect to nonpolluted plants, suggesting a biphasic response to hydrocarbon presence. Absorption features were identified that related strongly to pigment concentration and biomass. Variations in absorption feature characteristics (band depth, band area, and band width) were dependent upon the hydrocarbon concentration and type, and showed the same biphasic pattern noted in the biophysical measurements. This study demonstrates that the response of plants to hydrocarbon pollution varies according to hydrocarbon concentration and that remote sensing has the potential to both detect and monitor the variable impacts of pollution in the landscape.
Highlights
IntroductionInvestigation using hyperspectral remote sensing techniques to detect vegetation stress associated with hydrocarbon pollution have produced promising results [5,6,7,8], but further work is necessary to better understand the relationships between hydrocarbon pollutants, plant biophysical stresses, and spectral response at plant and canopy scales
Note: To save space, results for the crude oil treatments are shown in the main figures of the paper, whilst results from the refined oil experiments are plotted in Supplementary
Whilst there was no significant difference in height between treatments at the start of the experiment, 14 days after introducing the polluted layer C50 (50 g·kg−1 of crude oil in soil) plants were significantly shorter than control plants
Summary
Investigation using hyperspectral remote sensing techniques to detect vegetation stress associated with hydrocarbon pollution have produced promising results [5,6,7,8], but further work is necessary to better understand the relationships between hydrocarbon pollutants, plant biophysical stresses, and spectral response at plant and canopy scales
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