Monitoring of Riparian Vegetation Growth on Fluvial Sandbars

Nones, Michael; Guerrero, Massimo; Archetti, Renata

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-37105-0_17

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These uncertainties in estimating river width do not significantly influence the outcomes reported here, which are in line with previous investigations performed in other regions worldwide. Nones et al, 2020). However, clear conclusions cannot be derived as field evidence along the Po River is scarce and calls for more effort in field investigations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their research shows that, in the case of sandbars and floodplains with low bank stability, which is typical of sandy large rivers like the Po, erosive phenomena associated with floods can disturb or even interrupt the process of vegetation succession, reducing the growing period and the plant diversity and density covering the investigated areas. At the same time, prolonged drought periods might favour the growth of riparian plants more resistant to dry conditions, which eventually contribute to fixing river bars and banks, simplifying the morphological pattern (Bertoldi et al, 2014; Nones et al, 2020). However, clear conclusions cannot be derived as field evidence along the Po River is scarce and calls for more effort in field investigations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Remote sensing assessment of anthropogenic and climate variation effects on river channel morphology and vegetation: Impact of dry periods on a European piedmont river

Nones,

Guerrero,

Schippa

et al. 2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Rivers are subject to increasing human pressure, resulting in a loss of their natural characteristics, further enhanced by climate change. The present study focuses on a piedmont reach of the Italian Po River and combines Landsat satellite information with hydrological records to investigate changes in sandbars exposure and riparian vegetation coverage, considering the summer period of 1984–2022. Satellite data were handled via Google Earth Engine, looking at common indexes such as the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index, which was used to identify temporal variations in wetted channel area, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, considered as a proxy of vegetation coverage variations. Changes in the river hydrology were analysed by looking at the annual minimum water levels, the discharge duration curve, the stage–discharge relationship and the yearly annual water volume. Results suggest that a process of oversimplification is affecting this reach of the Po River, showing how climate change can affect piedmont European watercourses. Indeed, after an initial period where bars tended to be barer and somehow stable over time, in the most recent decade a different trend appeared, with vegetation able to colonize the exposed sandbars more. Using the Po River as an exemplary case study, this work suggests that prolonged dry periods, which are more common in recent decades, might impact large and medium rivers located in temperate climates, favouring the development of vegetation on exposed sandbars, eventually resulting in a less dynamic active channel.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing assessment of anthropogenic and climate variation effects on river channel morphology and vegetation: Impact of dry periods on a European piedmont river

Nones,

Guerrero,

Schippa

et al. 2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In the studied section, the alluvial bed is composed of well-sorted coarse sand with a median size D 50 0.4 mm and sorting of 1.2 ϕ , while finer sediment can be found at the river delta (Maselli et al, 2020;Nones et al, 2020a). Repeat imagery from a time-lapse camera located within the ROI and positioned toward a vegetated sandbar (upstream of the Boschina Island, Ostiglia; Figures 2B,C) has indicated the contribution of the transient hydrology on the river morphodynamics and vegetation growth patterns (Nones et al, 2018;Nones et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Deriving Planform Morphology and Vegetation Coverage From Remote Sensing to Support River Management Applications

Boothroyd

Nones

Guerrero

2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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With the increasing availability of big geospatial data (e.g., multi-spectral satellite imagery) and access to platforms that support multi-temporal analyses (e.g., cloud-based computing, Geographical Information Systems, GIS), the use of remotely sensed information for monitoring riverine hydro-morpho-biodynamics is growing. Opportunities to map, quantify and detect changes in the wider riverscape (i.e., water, sediment and vegetation) at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution can support flood risk and river management applications. Focusing on a reach of the Po River (Italy), satellite imagery from Landsat 5, 7, and 8 for the period 1988–2018 were analyzed in Google Earth Engine (GEE) to investigate changes in river planform morphology and vegetation dynamics associated with transient hydrology. An improved understanding of these correlations can help in managing sediment transport and riparian vegetation to reduce flood risk, where biogeomorphic processes are commonly overlooked in flood risk mapping. In the study, two established indices were analyzed: the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) for monitoring changes in the wetted river planform morphology, inferring information about sediment dynamics, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for evaluating changes in vegetation coverage. Results suggest that planform changes are highly localized with most parts of the reach remaining stable. Using the wetted channel occurrence as a measure of planform stability, almost two-thirds of the wetted channel extent (total area = 86.4 km2) had an occurrence frequency >90% (indicating stability). A loss of planform complexity coincided with the position of former secondary channels, or zones where the active river channel had narrowed. Time series analysis of vegetation dynamics showed that NDVI maxima were recorded in May/June and coincided with the first peak in the hydrological regime (occurring in late spring and associated with snowmelt). Seasonal variation in vegetation coverage is potentially important for local hydrodynamics, influencing flood risk. We suggest that remotely sensed information can provide river scientists with new insights to support the management of highly anthropized watercourses.

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Monitoring of Riparian Vegetation Growth on Fluvial Sandbars

Cited by 2 publications

References 27 publications

Remote sensing assessment of anthropogenic and climate variation effects on river channel morphology and vegetation: Impact of dry periods on a European piedmont river

Remote sensing assessment of anthropogenic and climate variation effects on river channel morphology and vegetation: Impact of dry periods on a European piedmont river

Deriving Planform Morphology and Vegetation Coverage From Remote Sensing to Support River Management Applications

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