Monitoring Marsh Dynamics Through Remote Sensing

Abstract

Remote sensing has been used widely, and in many different ways, for wetlands. From simple wetland delineation and mapping to water body characterisation and the extraction of biophysical parameters, remote sensing images have provided useful results. Remote sensing offers synoptic and repetitive views of the same places on Earth. Additionally, remote sensors have been capturing long time series of images, with most sensors still fully active. This allows historical reconstruction of land cover changes and ensures future monitoring. However, several limitations exist and these must be taken into account when dealing with long time series of images. In this paper, we introduce the different remote sensing monitoring protocols adopted for Doñana marshlands, and present some results on mapping hydroperiod and flooding, water depth and turbidity with a multitemporal Landsat dataset (1975–2008). Interpretation of the results is allowing us to test the validity of actions proposed in the framework of the Doñana 2005 restoration project. We also present preliminary results from monitoring the spread of an alien species in Doñana.