Calibration and Validation of Landsat Tree Cover in the Taiga−Tundra Ecotone

Paul Mannix Montesano; Christopher S. R. Neigh; Joseph Sexton; Min Feng; Saurabh Channan; Kenneth J. Ranson; John R. Townshend

doi:10.3390/rs8070551

Remote Sensing (Jun 2016)

Calibration and Validation of Landsat Tree Cover in the Taiga−Tundra Ecotone

Paul Mannix Montesano,
Christopher S. R. Neigh,
Joseph Sexton,
Min Feng,
Saurabh Channan,
Kenneth J. Ranson,
John R. Townshend

Affiliations

Paul Mannix Montesano: Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD 20706, USA
Christopher S. R. Neigh: Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, Code 618, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Joseph Sexton: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Min Feng: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Saurabh Channan: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Kenneth J. Ranson: Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, Code 618, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
John R. Townshend: Global Land Cover Facility, Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8070551
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 7
p. 551

Abstract

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Monitoring current forest characteristics in the taiga−tundra ecotone (TTE) at multiple scales is critical for understanding its vulnerability to structural changes. A 30 m spatial resolution Landsat-based tree canopy cover map has been calibrated and validated in the TTE with reference tree cover data from airborne LiDAR and high resolution spaceborne images across the full range of boreal forest tree cover. This domain-specific calibration model used estimates of forest height to determine reference forest cover that best matched Landsat estimates. The model removed the systematic under-estimation of tree canopy cover >80% and indicated that Landsat estimates of tree canopy cover more closely matched canopies at least 2 m in height rather than 5 m. The validation improved estimates of uncertainty in tree canopy cover in discontinuous TTE forests for three temporal epochs (2000, 2005, and 2010) by reducing systematic errors, leading to increases in tree canopy cover uncertainty. Average pixel-level uncertainties in tree canopy cover were 29.0%, 27.1% and 31.1% for the 2000, 2005 and 2010 epochs, respectively. Maps from these calibrated data improve the uncertainty associated with Landsat tree canopy cover estimates in the discontinuous forests of the circumpolar TTE.

Published in Remote Sensing

ISSN: 2072-4292 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/

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