Multi-seasonal spectral characteristics analysis of coastal salt marsh vegetation in Shanghai, China

Remote sensing technology has become the primary tool for ecological research on a large scale. The spectral characteristics of the salt marsh vegetation canopy, including four main communities, Phragmites australis community, Spartina alterniflora community, Scirpus mariqueter community and Carex scabrifolia community, were measured in the seasons of spring, summer and autumn by a ground FieldSpec™ Pro JR spectroradiometer, at the Chongming Dongtan Nature Reserve in Shanghai. The spectral data were converted to the reflectance curves, and their first derivative curves between 350 nm and 1000 nm were calculated. The differences in the reflectance and first derivative curves were then analyzed, with particular attention paid to the characteristics in the bands of visible, “green peak”, “red edge” and near infrared.The results from this study showed that the different salt marsh communities had different and rather unique spectral characteristics during the three seasons studied. The near-ground spectral reflectance varied with the growing season, community type and its phenology. The discrimination ability, in terms of variations in the spectral reflectance, among the four major salt marsh communities was highest in autumn. It is proposed that a realistic strategy for classifying the salt marsh vegetation could be adopted by integrating and analyzing their remotely sensed images of multi-seasons. The implications of the results from this study in terms of serving as a tool for monitoring and mapping the distribution pattern and dynamics of salt marsh vegetation on the eastern coast of China are discussed.