Evaluation of spectral indices for estimating burn severity in semiarid grasslands
Bing Lu A B , Yuhong He A and Alexander Tong A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada.
B Corresponding author. Email: bing.lu@mail.utoronto.ca
International Journal of Wildland Fire 25(2) 147-157 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF15098
Submitted: 30 October 2014 Accepted: 15 September 2015 Published: 1 December 2015
Abstract
Using Landsat imagery, this study was conducted to evaluate a fire disturbance that occurred in Canada’s Grasslands National Park on 27 April 2013. We used spectral indices (e.g. Normalised Burn Ratio (NBR) and Mid-infrared Burn Index (MIRBI)) derived from Landsat images to evaluate burn severity and to analyse the vegetation recovery process. A field survey was conducted to assess burn severity, which we used to evaluate the performance of spectral indices. Responses of the vegetation community to the fire disturbance were also investigated during the field campaign. Results show that the selected spectral indices performed differently for evaluating burn severity, but MIRBI performed best, likely due to its ability to discriminate post-fire residuals. Severely burned areas were distributed along a river where a larger amount of senesced biomass had accumulated before the fire. The semiarid grasslands showed a strong resilience to fire disturbance, and vegetation recovery was likely influenced by burn severity and water availability. Different vegetation types (e.g. grass, trees and shrubs) had distinct recovery rates and, thus, fire influences plant community development. The fire disturbance changed the composition of grass species in the burned area and also promoted invasion by non-native species.
Additional keywords: Landsat imagery, spectral index, vegetation recovery.
References
Anderson RC (2006) Evolution and origin of the Central Grassland of North America: climate, fire, and mammalian grazers. The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133, 626–647.| Evolution and origin of the Central Grassland of North America: climate, fire, and mammalian grazers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Beckage B, Gross LJ, Platt WJ (2011) Grass feedbacks on fire stabilize savannas. Ecological Modelling 222, 2227–2233.
| Grass feedbacks on fire stabilize savannas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Briggs JM, Knapp AK, Blair JM, Heisler JL, Hoch GA, Lett MS, Mccarron JK (2005) An ecosystem in transition: causes and consequences of the conversion of mesic grassland to shrubland. Bioscience 55, 243–254.
| An ecosystem in transition: causes and consequences of the conversion of mesic grassland to shrubland.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Casillo J, Kunst C, Semmartin M (2012) Effects of fire and water availability on the emergence and recruitment of grasses, forbs and woody species in a semiarid Chaco savanna. Austral Ecology 37, 452–459.
| Effects of fire and water availability on the emergence and recruitment of grasses, forbs and woody species in a semiarid Chaco savanna.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Chen J, Zhu X, Vogelmann JE, Gao F, Jin S (2011) A simple and effective method for filling gaps in Landsat ETM+ SLC-off images. Remote Sensing of Environment 115, 1053–1064.
| A simple and effective method for filling gaps in Landsat ETM+ SLC-off images.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Clarke ML, Rendell HM (2000) The impact of the farming practice of remodelling hillslope topography on badland morphology and soil erosion processes. Catena 40, 229–250.
| The impact of the farming practice of remodelling hillslope topography on badland morphology and soil erosion processes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Csillag F, Kertesz M, Davidson A, Mitchell S (2001) On the measurement of diversity–productivity relationships in a northern mixed grass prairie (Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada). Community Ecology 2, 145–159.
| On the measurement of diversity–productivity relationships in a northern mixed grass prairie (Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Díaz-Delgado R, Llorett F, Pons X (2003) Influence of fire severity on plant regeneration by means of remote sensing imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing 24, 1751–1763.
| Influence of fire severity on plant regeneration by means of remote sensing imagery.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Epting J, Verbyla D, Sorbel B (2005) Evaluation of remotely sensed indices for assessing burn severity in interior Alaska using Landsat TM and ETM+. Remote Sensing of Environment 96, 328–339.
| Evaluation of remotely sensed indices for assessing burn severity in interior Alaska using Landsat TM and ETM+.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Exelis Visual Information Solutions Inc (2013) ENVI classic tutorial: atmospherically correcting multispectral data using FLAASH. Available at www.exelisvis.com/portals/0/pdfs/envi/FLAASH_Multispectral.pdf [Verified 24 October 2014]
Findlay M (2010) Hinterland who’s who. Available at http://www.hww.ca/en/where-they-live/grasslands.html [Verified 9 January 2014]
Goetz SJ, Fiske GJ, Bunn AG (2006) Using satellite time-series data sets to analyze fire disturbance and forest recovery across Canada. Remote Sensing of Environment 101, 352–365.
| Using satellite time-series data sets to analyze fire disturbance and forest recovery across Canada.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Guo X, Zhang C, Wilmshurst JF, Sissons R (2005) Monitoring grassland health with remote sensing approaches. Prairie Perspectives 8, 11–22.
He Y (2014) The effect of precipitation on vegetation cover over three landscape units in a protected semi-arid grassland: temporal dynamics and suitable climatic index. Journal of Arid Environments 109, 74–82.
| The effect of precipitation on vegetation cover over three landscape units in a protected semi-arid grassland: temporal dynamics and suitable climatic index.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
He Y, Mui A (2010) Scaling up semi-arid grassland biochemical content from the leaf to the canopy level: challenges and opportunities. Sensors 10, 11 072–11 087.
| Scaling up semi-arid grassland biochemical content from the leaf to the canopy level: challenges and opportunities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
He Y, Guo X, Wilmshurst J (2006) Studying mixed grassland ecosystems I: suitable hyperspectral vegetation indices. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing 32, 98–107.
| Studying mixed grassland ecosystems I: suitable hyperspectral vegetation indices.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
He Y, Guo X, Wilmshurst JF (2009) Reflectance measures of grassland biophysical structure. International Journal of Remote Sensing 30, 2509–2521.
| Reflectance measures of grassland biophysical structure.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Heward H, Smith AMS, Roy DP, Tinkham WT, Hoffman CM, Morgan P, Lannom KO (2013) Is burn severity related to fire intensity? Observations from landscape scale remote sensing. International Journal of Wildland Fire 22, 910–918.
| Is burn severity related to fire intensity? Observations from landscape scale remote sensing.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Holden ZA, Smith A, Morgan P, Rollins MG, Gessler PE (2005) Evaluation of novel thermally enhanced spectral indices for mapping fire perimeters and comparisons with fire atlas data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 26, 4801–4808.
| Evaluation of novel thermally enhanced spectral indices for mapping fire perimeters and comparisons with fire atlas data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jensen R, Gatrell J, Boulton J, Harper B (2004) Using remote sensing and geographic information systems to study urban quality of life and urban forest amenities. Ecology and Society 9, 5 . Available at http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss5/art5/ [Verified 15 September 2015]
Key CH, Benson NC (1999) The Normalized Burn Ratio, a Landsat TM radiometric index of burn severity. Available at http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/products/SEVER36_im_copy6.pdf [Verified 20 October 2014]
Key CH, Benson CN (2006) Landscape assessment: ground measure of severity, the Composite Burn Index; and remote sensing of severity, the Normalized Burn Ratio. FIREMON: Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory System. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-164-CD (Fort Collins, CO).
Kirkman KP, Collins SL, Smith MD, Knapp AK, Burkepile DE, Burns CE, Fynn RWS, Hagenah N, Koerner SE, Matchett KJ, Thompson DI, Wilcox KR, Wragg PD (2014) Responses to fire differ between South African and North American grassland communities. Journal of Vegetation Science 25, 793–804.
| Responses to fire differ between South African and North American grassland communities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lambin EF, Goyvaerts K, Petit C (2003) Remotely-sensed indicators of burning efficiency of savannah and forest fires. International Journal of Remote Sensing 24, 3105–3118.
| Remotely-sensed indicators of burning efficiency of savannah and forest fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lanorte A, De Santis F, Aromando A, Lasaponara R (2012) Low cost pre-operative fire monitoring from fire danger to severity estimation based on satellite MODIS, Landsat and ASTER data: the experience of FIRE-SAT project in the Basilicata region (Italy). In ‘Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2012’ (Eds B Murgante, O Gervasi, S Misra, N Nedjah, AMAC Rocha, D Taniar, BO Apduhan) pp. 481–496 (Springer-Verlag: Berlin Heidelberg)
Lentile LB, Holden ZA, Smith AMS, Falkowski MJ, Hudak AT, Morgan P, Lewis SA, Gessler PE, Benson NC (2006) Remote sensing techniques to assess active fire characteristics and post-fire effects. International Journal of Wildland Fire 15, 319–345.
| Remote sensing techniques to assess active fire characteristics and post-fire effects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Loboda T, O’Neal KJ, Csiszar I (2007) Regionally adaptable dNBR-based algorithm for burned area mapping from MODIS data. Remote Sensing of Environment 109, 429–442.
| Regionally adaptable dNBR-based algorithm for burned area mapping from MODIS data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lozano FJ, Suarez-Seoane S, de Luis E (2007) Assessment of several spectral indices derived from multi-temporal Landsat data for fire occurrence probability modelling. Remote Sensing of Environment 107, 533–544.
| Assessment of several spectral indices derived from multi-temporal Landsat data for fire occurrence probability modelling.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McMichael CE, Hope AS, Roberts DA, Anaya MR (2004) Post-fire recovery of leaf area index in California chaparral: a remote sensing-chronosequence approach. International Journal of Remote Sensing 25, 4743–4760.
| Post-fire recovery of leaf area index in California chaparral: a remote sensing-chronosequence approach.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McMurphy WE, Anderson KL (1965) Burning Flint Hills range. Journal of Range Management 18, 265–269.
| Burning Flint Hills range.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mell W, Jenkins MA, Gould J, Cheney P (2007) A physics-based approach to modelling grassland fires. International Journal of Wildland Fire 16, 1–22.
| A physics-based approach to modelling grassland fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Parks Canada (2013) Grasslands National Park introduction. Available at http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/sk/grasslands/natcul/natcul1.aspx [Verified 3 March 2014]
Rahman AF, Gamon JA (2004) Detecting biophysical properties of a semi-arid grassland and distinguishing burned from unburned areas with hyperspectral reflectance. Journal of Arid Environments 58, 597–610.
| Detecting biophysical properties of a semi-arid grassland and distinguishing burned from unburned areas with hyperspectral reflectance.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Roy DP, Giglio L, Kendall JD, Justice CO (1999) Multi-temporal active-fire based burn scar detection algorithm. International Journal of Remote Sensing 20, 1031–1038.
| Multi-temporal active-fire based burn scar detection algorithm.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Roy DR, Boschetti L, Trigg SN (2006) Remote sensing of fire severity: assessing the performance of the Normalized Burn Ratio. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters 3, 112–116.
| Remote sensing of fire severity: assessing the performance of the Normalized Burn Ratio.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shorthouse JD, Larson DJ (2010) Grasslands and grassland arthropods of Canada. In ‘Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands (Volume 1): Ecology and Interactions in Grassland Habitats’. (Eds JD Shorthouse, KD Floate) pp. 1–24 (Biological Survey of Canada: Ottawa).
Smith A, Wooster MJ, Drake NA, Dipotso FM, Falkowski MJ, Hudak AT (2005) Testing the potential of multi-spectral remote sensing for retrospectively estimating fire severity in African Savannahs. Remote Sensing of Environment 97, 92–115.
| Testing the potential of multi-spectral remote sensing for retrospectively estimating fire severity in African Savannahs.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Trigg S, Flasse S (2001) An evaluation of different bi-spectral spaces for discriminating burned shrub–savannah. International Journal of Remote Sensing 22, 2641–2647.
| An evaluation of different bi-spectral spaces for discriminating burned shrub–savannah.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
USGS (2014) USGS archive and available scenes. Available at https://landsat.usgs.gov/USGS_Archive_and_Available_Scenes.php [Verified 27 March 2014]
White JD, Ryan KC, Key CC, Running SW (1996) Remote sensing of forest fire severity and vegetation recovery. International Journal of Wildland Fire 6, 125–136.
| Remote sensing of forest fire severity and vegetation recovery.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Xu D, Guo X, Li Z, Yang X, Yin H (2014) Measuring the dead component of mixed grassland with Landsat imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 142, 33–43.
| Measuring the dead component of mixed grassland with Landsat imagery.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
