B51L-06:
Using NASA Earth Observing Satellites and Statistical Model Analysis to Monitor Vegetation and Habitat Rehabilitation in Southwest Virginia’s Reclaimed Mine Lands
Friday, 19 December 2014: 9:15 AM
Zachary Tate1, Dieudonne Dusenge2, Talia S Elliot1, Patrick Hafashimana2, Sarah Medley1, Ryan P Porter3, Rajkishan Rajappan4, Pedro Rodriguez5, Julie Spangler1, Rohini S Swaminathan5 and Robert Daniel VanGundy1, (1)University of Virginia's College at Wise, Wise, VA, United States, (2)Oklahoma Christian Univeristy, Edmond, OK, United States, (3)University of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville, VA, United States, (4)University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States, (5)Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, VA, United States
Abstract:
The majority of the population in southwest Virginia depends economically on coal mining. In 2011, coal mining generated $2,000,000 in tax revenue to Wise County alone. However, surface mining completely removes land cover and leaves the land exposed to erosion. The destruction of the forest cover directly impacts local species, as some are displaced and others perish in the mining process. Even though surface mining has a negative impact on the environment, land reclamation efforts are in place to either restore mined areas to their natural vegetated state or to transform these areas for economic purposes. This project aimed to monitor the progress of land reclamation and the effect on the return of local species. By incorporating NASA Earth observations, such as Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), re-vegetation process in reclamation sites was estimated through a Time series analysis using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). A continuous source of cloud free images was accomplished by utilizing the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STAR-FM). This model developed synthetic Landsat imagery by integrating the high-frequency temporal information from Terra/Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and high-resolution spatial information from Landsat sensors In addition, the Maximum Entropy Modeling (MaxENT), an eco-niche model was used to estimate the adaptation of animal species to the newly formed habitats. By combining factors such as land type, precipitation from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and slope from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), the MaxENT model produced a statistical analysis on the probability of species habitat. Altogether, the project compiled the ecological information which can be used to identify suitable habitats for local species in reclaimed mined areas.
