Abstract:

The map shows the leaf area index (LAI) of coastal marshes in Louisiana in 2015. The data is generated from the Landsat Climate Data Record (Landsat CDR) data. The projection is the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM Zone 15 North). The datum is WGS-1984. Spatial resolution is 30 meters by 30 meters. This map is a mosaic of eight Landsat scenes collected in the summer of 2015: Path 21 Row 40 collected July 26, Path 22 Rows 39 and 40 collected August 2, Path 23 Rows 39 and 40 collected August 25, Path 21 Row 39 collected August 27, and Path 24 Rows 39 and 40 collected September 17. Processing by Yu Mo, J.C. Alexis Riter, and Michael S. Kearney of the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.

Suggested Citation:

Mo, Yu, Kearney, Michael Sean. 2018. Louisiana marsh Leaf Area Index (LAI) from Landsat, July - September 2015. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7MK6BDN

Publications:

Mo, Y., Kearney, M. S., Riter, J. C. A., Zhao, F., & Tilley, D. R. (2018). Assessing biomass of diverse coastal marsh ecosystems using statistical and machine learning models. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 68, 189–201. doi:10.1016/j.jag.2017.12.003

Purpose:

To evaluate the use of Landsat data to examine Louisiana marsh conditions before and after the April 20 – July 15, 2010, Macondo oil spill, using NDVI. Specifically, this dataset is generated as part of the effort to establish the correlations between optical remote sensing measurements and the marsh biomass.

Data Parameters and Units:

Leaf area index (LAI) is a dimensionless quantity that characterizes plant canopies. It is defined as the one-sided green leaf area per unit ground surface area (LAI = leaf area / ground area, m2 / m2) in broadleaf canopies. The area sampled lies within: West bound longitude: -94.07 East bound longitude: -88.73 South bound latitude: 28.91 North bound latitude: 30.36

Methods:

The Landsat Surface Reflectance Climate Data Record (Landsat CDR) was downloaded from the USGS Earth Explorer website (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/). More information about the Landsat CDR is available on its USGS official website: https://landsat.usgs.gov/landsat-surface-reflectance-high-level-data-products.

Individual Files: