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Tracking the phenology and expansion of Spartina alterniflora coastal wetland by time series MODIS and Landsat images

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Abstract

Accurate information on phenology of Spartina alterniflora is basic for observing its growing condition in native and invasive places. Remote sensing (RS) can be used to analyse and monitor vegetation at a large spatial and long time scale. In this study, RS is used to explore phenology of coastal wetland vegetation (Reed, Suaeda salsa and Spartina alterniflora) based on time series data of four spectral indices (SI): Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI); Land Surface Water Index (LSWI) and Modified Normalized Difference Moisture Index (mNDWI). These SIs were calculated based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Land Satellite (Landsat) images, respectively. Phenology (including growing season and non-growing season) of Spartina alterniflora based on SIs to track its dynamic expansion since it invaded in southern Yellow Sea (Jiangsu, Yancheng), China through observing Landsat sub-pixels in per MODIS pixel. We also developed a new phenology-based algorithm to identify Spartina alterniflora from 1984 to 2015. The results show that Spartina alterniflora has a longer growth circle (around 286 days in a year) and higher productivity (about 0.6–0.8 NDVI) than the other salt marsh vegetation. The way of observing vegetation phenology on RS, and then developing a new phenology-based algorithm to track coastal wetland including invasive species—like Spartina alterniflora can support the studies of biological expansion, coastal wetland biodiversity conservation, and even global carbon cycling and climate change further.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41630528).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. China-US Joint Laboratory of Ecological Big Data, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, No. 2005, Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, People’s Republic of China

    Yaqian Wu, Xiangming Xiao, Jun Ma, Xinxin Wang, Bin Zhao & Bo Li

  2. Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Center for Spatial Analysis, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Xiangming Xiao

  3. Danzhou City (CATAS), Danzhou Investigation & Experiment Station of Tropical Cops, Ministry of Agriculture, Rubber Research Institute (RRI), Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou, Hainan Province, 571737, People’s Republic of China

    Bangqian Chen

  4. Scientific Research Management Section, Jiangsu Yancheng Wetland National Nature Reserve, Yancheng, 234005, Jiangsu Province, China

    Yanan Zhang

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  1. Yaqian Wu
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Correspondence to Xiangming Xiao.

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Wu, Y., Xiao, X., Chen, B. et al. Tracking the phenology and expansion of Spartina alterniflora coastal wetland by time series MODIS and Landsat images. Multimed Tools Appl 79, 5175–5195 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-018-6314-9

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