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Evaluating sensitivity of hyperspectral indices for estimating mangrove chlorophyll in Middle Andaman Island, India

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Abstract

Mangroves are the highly productive and extensive ecosystem in the tropical coasts. Chlorophyll is the key foliar determinant of mangrove productivity. Optical characteristics of mangrove markedly differ from land vegetation; hence, defining narrowband spectral indices most sensitive to mangrove chlorophyll is crucial, in view of their importance to the coastal environment and mounting biotic pressures. We assessed the sensitivity of a set of satellite hyperspectral remote sensing indices to mangrove canopy chlorophyll in Middle Andaman Island, India, and propose most robust spectral indices for mangrove chlorophyll estimation. We generated simple, modified simple, normalized difference vegetation, and non-linear indices from all possible two band combinations of EO-1 Hyperion bands in the 500–900 nm spectral range. The strength of correlation between each pair of spectral indices to mangrove chlorophyll was analyzed in 2D correlograms and validated using k-fold cross-validation technique. Results show that 549 nm, 559 nm (green) and 702 nm, 722 nm, 742 nm, and 763 nm (red-edge) wavelengths are the most sensitive to mangrove chlorophyll. We report performance of traditional chlorophyll indices and new indices with higher predictive capability for mangrove chlorophyll prediction. Simple ratio (559 nm/885 nm) offered the strongest correlation with mangrove chlorophyll (R2—0.75, RMSE—0.60, p < 0.05). Study findings will help researchers in deciding suitable chlorophyll indices for mangrove productivity and stress assessment. The best calibrated index was used to prepare mangrove chlorophyll spatial variability map of the study area.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Alok Saxena, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Retd.), Department of Environment and Forests, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, for the encouragement and support. Mr. P. Ragavan is thanked for the help during the field data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Forests, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744102, India

    Rajee George

  2. Forestry and Ecology Department, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, 4-Kalidas Road, Dehradun 248001, India

    Hitendra Padalia & S. K. Sinha

  3. Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing Campus, 4-Kalidas Road, Dehradun 248001, India

    A. Senthil Kumar

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  1. Rajee George
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Highlights

1. Hyperspectral indices for mangrove chlorophyll estimation were evaluated.

2. EO-1 Hyperion-derived simple, normalized and non-linear spectral indices were tested.

3. Green (549 nm, 559 nm) and red-edge (702 nm, 722 nm, 742 nm, 763 nm) bands showed higher sensitivity to mangrove chlorophyll.

4. SR (559 nm and 885 nm) (R2 = 0.75, p < 0.05) offered best correlation with mangrove chlorophyll.

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George, R., Padalia, H., Sinha, S.K. et al. Evaluating sensitivity of hyperspectral indices for estimating mangrove chlorophyll in Middle Andaman Island, India. Environ Monit Assess 191 (Suppl 3), 785 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7679-6

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