Vegetation cover dynamics mapping of the curonian spit national park using ALOS and SENTINEL-2 satellite imagery

Abstract

This article presents the results of assessing the quantitative changes in vegetation cover areas of the Curonian Spit national park (NP) using materials from high spatial resolution multi-temporal multispectral imaging from ALOS and Sentinel-2 satellites. Automated classification algorithms Random Forest and Maximum Likelihood Estimation were tested. Based on the obtained data of automated interpretation of satellite images, ecosystem monitoring indicators of the national park (forest cover percent, share of coniferous trees in stands, share of waving (open) sands and sands covered with vegetation (fixed sands) were calculated, and dynamic maps of these indicators as well as a map of multi-temporal state of vegetation were compiled. Cartographic assessment reflects the main trends in the dynamics of the Curonian Spit NP vegetation structure over the ten-year period from 2007 to 2017: an increased percent of forest cover, increased share of vegetation-fixed sands on the side the Curonian Lagoon as a result of forest protection measures; decreased forest cover percent and increased share of waving sands on the side of the sea coast as a result of foredune destruction under the influence of wind, wave and recreational loads.

Keywords

• vegetation cover
• forest stands
• high spatial resolution satellite data
• classification of satellite images
• automated interpretation
• classification algorithms
• recognition accuracy
• indicators of environmental monitoring