Remote sensing of ecosystem structure: Fusing passive and active remotely sensed data to characterize a deltaic wetland landscape

Abstract

A project was constructed to integrate remotely sensed data from multiple sensors and platforms to characterize range of ecosystem characteristics in the Peace–Athabasca Delta in Northern Alberta, Canada. The objective of this project was to provide a framework for the processing of multisensor data to extract ecosystem information describing complex deltaic wetland environments. The data used in this study was based on a passive satellite-based earth observation multispectral sensor (Sentinel-2) and airborne discrete light detection and ranging (LiDAR). The data processing strategy adopted here allowed us to employ a data mining approach to grouping of the input variables into ecologically meaningful clusters. Using this approach, we described not only the reflective characteristics of the cover, but also ascribe vertical and horizontal structure, thereby differentiating spectrally similar, but ecologically distinct, ground features. This methodology provides a framework for assessing the impact of ecosystems on radiance, as measured by Earth observing systems, where it forms the basis for sampling and analysis. This final point will be the focus of future work.