Applications of remote sensing and GIS to the assessment of riparian zones for environmental restoration in agricultural watersheds

Abstract

Geographical design of riparian buffers with long-term vegetation cover for environmental restoration in agricultural watersheds needs to assess how much farmland is located in the buffers of a concerned watershed. Traditionally, this assessment was done by field surveying and manual mapping, which was a time-consuming and costly process for a large region. In this paper, remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) as cost-effective techniques were used to develop a catchments-based approach for identifying critical sites of agricultural riparian buffer restoration. The method was explained through a case study of watershed with 11 catchments and results showed that only four of the catchments were eligible in terms of higher priority for riparian buffer restoration. This research has methodological contributions to the spatial assessment of farming intensities in catchments-based riparian buffers across a watershed and to the geographical designs of variable buffering scenarios within catchments. The former makes the catchments-based management strategy possible, and the latter provides alternative restoration scenarios to meet different management purposes, both of which have direct implementations to the environmental restoration of riparian buffers in the real world. This study, thus, highlights the great potential of RS and GIS applications to the planning and management of riparian buffer restoration in agricultural watersheds.

Long-Term Distribution Patterns of Chlorophyll-a Concentration in China’s Largest Freshwater Lake: MERIS Full-Resolution Observations with a Practical Approach

“…Although, at present, nutrients released from the Poyang Lake drainage basin were not found to correlate with the Chl-a in the lake, when excessive nutrients are released in the future from the continuously growing industry and agriculture around the lake's drainage basin, nutrient concentrations in the lake might exceed a certain threshold, leading to frequent algal blooms during the wet seasons (e.g., the case of Taihu Lake; [54,55]). It is thus necessary to implement a systematic, sustainable water quality monitoring program to assess the lake's eutrophic state, as well as its controlling mechanisms in the future.…”

Assessing Vegetation Dynamics and Landscape Ecological Risk on the Mainstream of Tarim River, China

“…In semi-arid and arid environments, floodplain riparian ecosystems are often the dominant landscapes [69], they are also the sources of water supplies for desert cities. Common impacts to riparian vegetation often include flow alteration from water withdrawal, diversion or impoundment and intensive agriculture [70]. However, because of poor management and protection, the overall ecological risks have increased in TR, referring to the management experience of other riparian ecosystems, a few future research directions still need to be discussed: (1) How to improve floodplain flows.…”

Unveiling the Complexity of Earth's Dynamic Ecosystems: Harnessing the Power of Remote Sensing for Environmental Analysis

“…To ensure an uptick in data quality and consistency, there is an ongoing need for advancements in sensor technology and calibration techniques. Integrating remote sensing data with other sources, including ground-based measurements and socioeconomic data, enhances our analyses' accuracy and reliability (Gu & Liu, 2010;Morales et al, 2011;Zeng et al, 2006). Lastly, the infusion of remote sensing with emerging technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and hyperspectral imaging, holds great promise for propelling geographic studies forward.…”