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Identification Of Woodland Vernal Pools With Seasonal Change Palsar Data For Habitat Conservation, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Yu Man Lee, Michael Battaglia, Sarah L. Endres, Zachary Laubach, Kirk Scarbrough

Michigan Tech Publications

Woodland vernal pools are important, small, cryptic, ephemeral wetland ecosystems that are vulnerable to a changing climate and anthropogenic influences. To conserve woodland vernal pools for the state of Michigan USA, vernal pool detection and mapping methods were sought that would be efficient, cost-effective, repeatable and accurate. Satellite-based L-band radar data from the high (10 m) resolution Japanese ALOS PALSAR sensor were evaluated for suitability in vernal pool detection beneath forest canopies. In a two phase study, potential vernal pool (PVP) detection was first assessed with unsupervised PALSAR (LHH) two season change detection (spring when flooded—summer when dry) and validated …