Remotely Sensed Changes in Vegetation Cover Distribution and Groundwater along the Lower Gila River

Kyle Hartfield, Willem J.D. van Leeuwen and Jeffrey K. Gillan
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Kyle Hartfield: University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, The University of Arizona, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Willem J.D. van Leeuwen: University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment and School of Geography, Development & Environment, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, The University of Arizona, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Jeffrey K. Gillan: University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, The University of Arizona, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Introduced as a soil erosion deterrent, salt cedar has become a menace along riverbeds in the desert southwest. Salt cedar replaces native species, permanently altering the structure, composition, function, and natural processes of the landscape. Remote sensing technologies have the potential to monitor the level of invasion and its impacts on ecosystem services. In this research, we developed a species map by segmenting and classifying various species along a stretch of the Lower Gila River. We calculated metrics from high-resolution multispectral imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data to identify salt cedar, mesquite, and creosote. Analysts derived training and validation information from drone-acquired orthophotos to achieve an overall accuracy of 94%. It is clear from the results that salt cedar completely dominates the study area with small numbers of mesquite and creosote present. We also show that vegetation has declined in the study area over the last 25 years. We discuss how water usage may be influencing the plant health and biodiversity in the region. An examination of ground well, stream gauge, and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) groundwater storage data indicates a decline in water levels near the study area over the last 25 years.

Keywords: salt cedar; GEOBIA; CART (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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