Cartographers often need to use information in existing landcover maps when compiling regional or global maps, but there are no standardized techniques for using such data effectively. An iterative, "map-guided" classification approach was developed to compile a spatially and thematically consistent, seamless land-cover map of the entire Intermountain Semi-Desert ecoregion from a set of semi-in...

Generating annual land cover maps in the tropics based on optical data is challenging because of the large amount of invalid observations resulting from the presence of clouds and haze or high moisture content in the atmosphere. This study proposes a strategy to build an annual time series from multi-year data to fill data gaps. The approach was tested using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spec...

The impact of the construction of a large dam on riparian vegetation cover can be multifold. How the riparian vegetation cover changes at different elevation zones in response to the construction of a large dam and the subsequent impound of reservoir water is still an open question. In this study, we used satellite remote sensing data integrated with geographic information system (GIS) to monit...

We investigated snow cover dynamics using time series of moderate (MODIS) to high (SPOT-4/5, Landsat-8) spatial resolution satellite imagery in a 3700 km2 region of the southwestern French Alps. Our study was carried out in the context of the SPOT (Take 5) Experiment initiated by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with the aim of exploring the utility of high spatial and temporal re...

Remote sensing can be used to rapidly generate land use maps for assisting emergency response personnel with resource deployment decisions and impact assessments. In this study we focus on constructing accurate land cover maps to map the impacted area in the case of a nuclear material release. The proposed methodology involves integration of results from two different approaches to increase cla...

Validating model simulations of vegetation-climate feedback needs information not only on changes in past vegetation types as reconstructed by palynologists, but also on other proxies such as vegetation cover. We present here a quantitative regional vegetation cover reconstruction for North China during the Holocene. The reconstruction was based on 15 high-quality lake sediment profiles selecte...

This study aims to estimate forest above-ground biomass and biomass components in a stand of Picea crassifolia (a coniferous tree) located on Qilian Mountain, western China via low density small-footprint airborne LiDAR data. LiDAR points were first classified into ground points and vegetation points. After, vegetation statistics, including height quantiles, mean height, and fractional cover we...

The hypothesized presence of large regions of grass and forb-dominated "steppe tundra" across Alaska and Siberia during the Pleistocene glacial epochs has led to a search for modern analogs. Evidence is presented for the presence of steppe vegetation on south-facing slopes and summits of pingos within the central Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. Vegetation, floristics, soils, and climatic factor...