Using ALOS/PALSAR, RADARSAT‐2 & ENVISAT/ASAR Imagery to Define Habitats in the Nhecolândia Region,

Brazilian PantanalTeresa Evans (tevans@uvic.ca), Maycira Costa (maycira@uvic.ca)

University of Victoria, Department of Geography, SPECTRAL Laboratory

• Abstract — The Brazilian Pantanal is a large continuous tropical wetland with large biodiversity and many threatened habitats. The interplay between the distribution of vegetation, the hydrology, the climate and the geomorphology nourishes and sustains the large diversity of flora and fauna in this wetland, but it is poorly understood at the scale of the entire Pantanal. This study uses multi-temporal L-band ALOS/PALSAR and C-band RADARSAT-2 and ENVISAT/ASAR data to map ecosystems and create a lake distribution map of the Nhecolândia region in the Brazilian Pantanal. A Level 1 object-based image analysis (OBIA) classification defining fresh and brackish lakes was achieved with accuracy results of 98%. A Level 2 classification separating two types of fresh lakes and brackish lakes achieved with accuracy results of 81%. The preliminary analysis of distribution of lakes in relationship to the marsh deer distribution showed that during the dry season, the marsh deer are in close proximity to permanent waterways such as the Rio Negro (Southern border of Nhecolândia) and the Rio Taquari (North-western border of Nhecolândia). During the flood season the deer begin to migrate away from the more deeply flooded low-lying areas and into the shallower, seasonally flooded areas, following the flooded/dry interface. However, the deer do not migrate into the central part of Nhecolândia, suggesting that the aquatic vegetation found in the baías alone is not enough to sustain the deer’s diet, regardless of season.

• Index Terms—ALOS PALSAR, K&C Initiative, Wetlands Theme, Pantanal, wildlife habitats.

Study Area – Nhecolândia RegionThe Brazilian Pantanal

Importance, threats…

ALOS/PALSAR 12.5m HH/HV wet/dry season L-bandENVISAT ASAR 12.5m HH/HV wet season C-band

RADARSAT-2 25m HH/HV dry season C-band

Open Grassland Savanna

Agriculture

Forest Woodland

Brackish WaterTypha sp.

Fresh Water Lake

Open Woodland Savanna

Vazante

Seasonal Wet Meadow

Level 1

HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION STRATEGY

Nhecolândia ► (Level 1)

Not Lake ► Level 2 ►

Woodland►Forest Woodland

Open Woodland Savanna

Herbaceous►Herbaceous dry►

Open Grassland SavannaAgriculture

Seasonal Flood►Seasonal Wet Meadow

VazanteLake Mask

Lake ► Level 3 ►

Fresh Water►

Floating and emergent aquatic vegetation (Baía)

Presence of Typha sp. (Salobra)

Brackish Water►Brackish - No above

surface aquatic vegetation (Salina)

Overall accuracy 83% - largest confusion between:1)Seasonal Wet Meadow, Vazante and Lake, 2)Open Grassland Savanna and Agriculture

LEGEND

  Forest Woodland  Open Woodland Savanna  Open Grassland Savanna  Agriculture  Seasonal Wet Meadow  Vazante

  Lake

LEGEND

 

Floating and Emergent Vegetation (Fresh Water - Baia)

 

Presence of Typha sp. (Fresh Water - Salobra)

  Brackish Water (Salina)

- Overall accuracy classifying fresh and brackish water 98% - further splitting lakes to 3 classes – 81%

LAKE BACKSCATTERING VARIABILITY AND GEOCHEMISTRY

LEGEND

 

Floating and Emergent Vegetation (Fresh Water - Baía)

 

Presence of Typha sp. (Fresh Water - Salobra)

  Brackish Water (Salina)

Final Product – the only fine spatial resolution, detailed habitat distribution map of the region, including the spatial distribution of the three types of lake

Will be used for:1) ongoing local habitat studies in the region (marsh deer, jaguar)2) Baseline data for monitoring3) Important information to aid in defining conservation areas

Acknowledgements

SAR Imagery Ancillary Data

FUNDING!

FOR MORE INFORMATION…Contact me (Teresa Evans)

email: tevans@uvic.ca

Or visit my website:http://mapping.uvic.ca/spectral/our_people/t_evans

Questions?