Article
Environmental Sciences
Vladimir R. R. Wingate, Felicia O. O. Akinyemi, Chima J. J. Iheaturu, Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Summary: Global tropical deforestation rates are rising, particularly in arable landscapes of West Africa where remaining forest fragments are highly fragmented. This study aims to inventory and characterize these forest patches using remote sensing, finding that while larger patches may experience more loss on average, smaller secondary forest patches persist in the landscape. Larger forest patches also harbor denser tree cover and higher trees, indicating potential resilience to human pressures.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chenzherui Liu, Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, Connor Bax
Summary: This study revealed significant structural changes in Tropical Dry Forests (TDFs) at Santa Rosa National Park over a 16-year period. Parameters such as Cy, RG, and RH100 increased with forest growth, while Cx decreased. These findings provide important insights into the growth dynamics of TDFs and could guide future conservation efforts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aishwarya Chandrasekaran, Guofan Shao, Songlin Fei, Zachary Miller, Joseph Hupy
Summary: This paper presents a methodology for automated measurement of tree height and crown area in broadleaf tree plantations using unmanned aerial systems imagery. The analysis shows higher accuracy in tree measurements with the datasets derived from multi-rotor platform than with the fixed wing platform. The automated method can efficiently calculate tree-level biometric estimations for a large number of trees based on UAS-SfM derived images.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diana Laura Jimenez-Rodriguez, Yan Gao, Jonathan V. Solorzano, Margaret Skutsch, Diego R. Perez-Salicrup, Miguel Angel Salinas-Melgoza, Michelle Farfan
Summary: Forest degradation reduces biomass density, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and affects biodiversity and natural resources available for local communities. This study successfully mapped degraded forests in the dry tropics and identified the most relevant biophysical and socio-economic factors associated with such degradation.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Barbara D'hont, Kim Calders, Harm Bartholomeus, Tim Whiteside, Renee Bartolo, Shaun Levick, Sruthi M. Krishna Moorthy, Louise Terryn, Hans Verbeeck
Summary: This study investigates the use of UAV-based observations for precise and scalable termite mound detection and morphological characterisation. The results show that UAV-LS data can be rapidly acquired and provide higher spatial detail for monitoring and mapping termite mounds over relatively large areas compared to airborne and spaceborne remote sensing techniques.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Matthew Fagan, Do-Hyung Kim, Wesley Settle, Lexie Ferry, Justin Drew, Haven Carlson, Joshua Slaughter, Joshua Schaferbien, Alexandra Tyukavina, Nancy Harris, Elizabeth Goldman, Elsa Ordway
Summary: Changes in agricultural practices have led to rapid expansion of tree plantations in tropical regions, often encroaching intact forests and grasslands. Satellite imagery was used to classify observed tree cover gain between 2000 and 2012, revealing that both natural regrowth and plantation expansion contribute to increased tree cover across the tropics.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Maximilian Hartung, Geovana Carreno-Rocabado, Marielos Pena-Claros, Masha T. van der Sande
Summary: The study found that the Chiquitano dry forest is relatively resilient to recurring fires and has the capacity to recover and adapt, with climatic factors being the main influencers on its resilience. However, future more frequent and intense fires due to climate change and land use change may pose a greater threat to forest resilience.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Derek J. N. Young, Michael J. Koontz, JonahMaria Weeks
Summary: Recent advances in technology allow for individual tree mapping in forests using low-cost equipment and minimal data collection. Researchers tested different methods for collecting and processing imagery, as well as tree detection, and found an efficient and accurate method for creating tree maps.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Keshav Kumar Upadhyay, Santosh K. Shah, Arijit Roy, Shri Kant Tripathi
Summary: Tree rings are a highly promising indicator of ecological and environmental processes, with significant impact on tree growth and carbon sequestration potential in tropical moist forests. The study found that soil moisture during the early growing season is crucial for the growth of teak trees, and it is related to remote atmospheric climate regulation modes.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Victor Alexis Pena-Lara, Juan Manuel Dupuy, Casandra Reyes-Garcia, Lucia Sanaphre-Villanueva, Carlos A. Portillo-Quintero, Jose Luis Hernandez-Stefanoni
Summary: This study accurately estimates tree species richness and functional richness in tropical dry forests of the Yucatan Peninsula through the combination of field data and Sentinel-2 imagery. The results show a positive correlation between species richness and functional richness in both forest types. The findings highlight the importance of integrating field data and remotely sensed variables for estimating plant species richness and functional richness, and provide valuable information for planning, conservation, and restoration strategies.
Article
Ecology
Bassam Qarallah, Malik Al-Ajlouni, Ayman Al-Awasi, Mohammad Alkarmy, Emad Al-Qudah, Ahmad Bani Naser, Amani Al-Assaf, Caroline M. Gevaert, Yolla Al Asmar, Mariana Belgiu, Yahia A. Othman
Summary: By using remote sensing data and field measurements, we studied the fire severity and recovery process of the Latroon dry forest in Jordan after the 2003 fire, finding that about 65% of the forest was burned. UAV assessments showed that 90% of the burned area had recovered to pre-fire conditions by 2020, but tree heights in severely burned areas were significantly lower than those in moderately burned areas.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Marines de la Pena-Domene, Gerardo Rodriguez Tapia, Natalia Mesa-Sierra, Anaitzi Rivero-Villar, Christian P. Giardina, Nels G. Johnson, Julio Campo
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of spatial patterns in resource supply in tropical dry forests (TDFs) and establishes a model with climate and soil-related indices to assess the extent and characteristics of these forests.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Fernando Campanha Bechara, Bruna Elisa Trentin, Vera Lex Engel, Daniela Aparecida Estevan, Tamara Ticktin
Summary: The study compared the vegetation recovery and financial outcomes of applied nucleation and high-diversity plantation plots in the Atlantic forest of Brazil. Results showed that while high-diversity plantation had higher total costs, it also had higher overstory basal area, species richness, and speed of recovery. Nucleation plots had lower costs, but also had benefits in terms of increased tree density and species diversity.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Sergio Orrego, Cristian Montes, Hector Restrepo, Bronson P. Bullock, Mauricio Zapata
Summary: Teak plantations are being established in tropical regions to meet the demand for its timber, and a study in Colombia used a stochastic differential equation approach to model and estimate top height growth, finding that environmental noise was the main source of uncertainty in mean top height growth. The selected model outperformed alternative approaches and can be useful for predicting height growth and evaluating site productivity in Colombia and similar regions.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miguel Angel Lara-Gomez, Rafael M. Navarro-Cerrillo, Inmaculada Clavero Rumbao, Guillermo Palacios-Rodriguez
Summary: Airborne laser scanning (ALS) technology is widely used in forest resource assessment, providing accurate results and reducing inventory costs. This study compared the prediction errors of forest inventory attributes using two different approaches (ABA and ITC) and found that the performance varied with tree density.
Article
Ecology
Monsif Sabbahi, Abderrahim Nemmaoui, Abdessalam Tahani, Ali El Bachiri
Summary: This study delineated the distribution of rosemary shrubs in the Oriental region in Morocco using Sentinel-2A imagery and achieved accurate results with high overall accuracy and precision. The findings provide guidance for the sustainable use of rosemary as a natural resource.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Manuel A. Aguilar, Rafael Jimenez-Lao, Claudio Ladisa, Fernando J. Aguilar, Eufemia Tarantino
Summary: One of the most important challenges in agriculture is to increase productivity while controlling environmental impact. Remote sensing for mapping plastic covered greenhouses (PCG) has gained significant attention. This study compared 14 spectral indices for plastic detection in four PCG study areas around the world. The Plastic GreenHouse Index (PGHI) based on Sentinel-2 time series showed the best overall accuracy in vegetable cultivation areas. The study highlights the importance of using remote sensing for monitoring PCG areas.
GISCIENCE & REMOTE SENSING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gizem Senel, Manuel A. A. Aguilar, Fernando J. J. Aguilar, Abderrahim Nemmaoui, Cigdem Goksel
Summary: This study tested the performance of eight widely applied supervised segmentation metrics and found the best metric for evaluating PCG segmentation quality. It also examined the effect of several factors on PCG segmentation quality through a factorial analysis of variance design. The results showed that MED2 was the best metric for evaluating PCG segmentation quality, and the interaction between reflectance storage scale and shape parameter was the most critical factor affecting MRS accuracy.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pier Paolo Amoroso, Fernando J. Aguilar, Claudio Parente, Manuel A. Aguilar
Summary: In terms of understanding the seabed, 3D models, especially digital bathymetric models (DBMs), are crucial for safe navigation and scientific research. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of DBMs based on different interpolation methods, considering factors like seabed complexity and sampling density. The experiments were conducted on a multibeam dataset, and four interpolation methods were tested. The results showed that RBMF and OK were accurate in areas with low seabed ruggedness at low sampling densities, while UK and GMRF were influenced by morphology and sampling density, leading to higher errors and slight overestimation of seabed depths.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Carlos Reca, Fernando J. Aguilar, Antonio Gimenez, Manuel A. Aguilar
Summary: The shipping industry is increasingly focusing on green and zero-emission shipping, aiming to reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate environmental impact. The use of renewable energies, including rigid sails as auxiliary propulsion systems, is being explored. This study analyzed the performance of rigid sails under pre-stall and post-stall aerodynamic conditions. A methodology was developed to obtain the aerodynamic coefficients of the rigid sail for any position relative to the wind using different tested airfoils. The results showed that post-stall conditions significantly improved the thrust generated by the sail, especially at higher angles of incidence (> 90 degrees). The symmetrical NACA 0015 airfoil was found to be the most suitable choice for defining the cross-section of the rigid sail.
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
R. Jimenez-Lao, M. A. Aguilar, F. J. Aguilar
Summary: This paper analyzes the surface reflectance values of satellite image spectra for plastic covered greenhouses (PCG) in different seasons. The results show the variability of absorption features and overall shape of the spectra for all PCG, which are mainly attributed to the crops and the specific characteristics of their local management. The study also reveals the relationship between brightness and whitewashing of the greenhouse roof.
XXIV ISPRS CONGRESS IMAGING TODAY, FORESEEING TOMORROW, COMMISSION II
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
Rafael Jimenez-Lao, Manuel A Aguilar, Claudio Ladisa, Fernando J Aguilar, Abderrahim Nemmaoui
Summary: Accurate greenhouse mapping is crucial for environment monitoring and resource management. This study focuses on the object-based image analysis approach for plastic covered greenhouses (PCG) classification, with the emphasis on the segmentation step. The researchers analyzed various factors affecting the segmentation algorithm and conducted multiple segmentations using high-resolution satellite images. The results showed that the atmospherically corrected pansharpened orthoimage achieved the best segmentation performance for PCG.
XXIV ISPRS CONGRESS IMAGING TODAY, FORESEEING TOMORROW, COMMISSION II
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
Manuel A. Aguilar, Rafael Jimenez-Lao, Fernando J. Aguilar
Summary: This study assessed the quality of DSM extracted from WorldView-3 stereo pairs and found a clear relationship between image geometry, sun position, and DSM completeness. The research suggests that larger convergence angles decrease DSM completeness, especially in complex terrains. Sunlight also affects DSM extraction in greenhouse areas. The best results can be obtained by fusing DSM from multiple stereo pairs.
XXIV ISPRS CONGRESS IMAGING TODAY, FORESEEING TOMORROW, COMMISSION II
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Geography, Physical
Fernando J. Aguilar, Abderrahim Nemmaoui, Manuel A. Aguilar, Rafael Jimenez-Lao
Summary: Effective monitoring of Mediterranean forest is crucial for studying the role of forest management in climate change mitigation and environmental service maintenance. This study used UAV image-based data to estimate the dendrometric variables of repopulated Aleppo pine and found that multivariate allometric models performed better at predicting tree trunk diameter.
XXIV ISPRS CONGRESS: IMAGING TODAY, FORESEEING TOMORROW, COMMISSION III
(2022)
