Modelling and mapping forest above-ground biomass using earth observation data
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Science Publishing Group
Abstract
Accurate information on above-ground biomass (AGB) is important for sustainable forest management as well as
for global initiatives aimed at combating climate change in the Tropics. In this study, AGB was estimated using a combination
of field and Sentinel-2 earth observation data. The study was conducted at Magamba Nature Reserve in Lushoto district,
Tanzania. Field plot-based AGB values were regressed against eighteen Sentinel-2 remote sensing variables (bands and
vegetation indices) using Random Forest (RF) models based on centroid and weighted approaches. Results showed that the
weighted model had the highest fit and precision (pseudo-R 2 = 0.21, rRMSE = 68.23%). A prediction map was produced with a
mean AGB of 223.47 Mg ha -1 which was close to that of the field (225.19 Mg ha -1 ). Furthermore, the standard deviation of the
AGB obtained from the map (i.e 174.04 Mg ha -1 ) was relatively lower as compared to the one obtained from the field-based
measurements (i.e 97.42 Mg ha -1 ). This study demonstrated that Sentinel-2 imagery and RF-based regression techniques have
potential to effectively support large scale estimation of forest AGB in the tropical rainforests.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Above-ground Biomass, Earth observation data, Modelling, Sentinel-2, Random forest,
Citation
Sami Dawood Madundo, Ernest William Mauya, Nandera Juma Lolila, Hadija Ahmed Mchelu. Modelling and Mapping Forest Above- Ground Biomass Using Earth Observation Data. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Vol. 7, No. 1, 2022, pp. 15-21. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20220701.13