Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences Centre for Ecosystem Science

Using radar satellite imagery to detect and monitor flooding in arid Australian wetlands

marshlands

Across much of Australia, inundation is seasonally variable and whilst areas of open water can be detected using optical remote sensing data (Landsat or MODIS, for example), inundation beneath vegetation is often difficult to discern. The Centre for Ecosystem Sciences is therefore proposing the use and development of techniques for detecting aquatic herbaceous and wooded vegetation using combinations of C-band SAR and L-band SAR data in combination with optical remote sensing data, with the resulting data layers feeding into models of environmental flows.

Related

Supporting continental retrieval of vegetation biophysical attributes
Research conducted to date has established that retrieval of above ground biomass from the L-band backscatter data is optimal when surface conditions are relatively dry and that the level of saturation with respect to biomass can be increased using such data.

Mangrove response to climatic variability
In the north of Australia, both a seaward and landward movement of mangroves has been observed from time-series of Landsat sensor data and aerial photography.

The Injune Landscape Collaborative Project
The ILCP is recognised internationally as a key site (and one of only a few located in woodlands and open forests) that has facilitated the development of new algorithms for retrieving biophysical attributes and detecting change.