Landsat 5 and NDVI - Background

Town of St George

Landsat 5 NASA launched in 1984

Thematic Mapper (TM) instruments includes Seven spectral bands, including a thermal band:

• Band 1 Visible (0.45 – 0.52 µm) 30 m • Band 2 Visible (0.52 – 0.60 µm) 30 m • Band 3 Visible (0.63 – 0.69 µm) 30 m • Band 4 Near-Infrared (0.76 – 0.90 µm) 30 m • Band 5 Near-Infrared (1.55 – 1.75 µm) 30 m • Band 6 Thermal (10.40 – 12.50 µm) 120 m • Band 7 Mid-Infrared (2.08 – 2.35 µm) 30 m • Ground Sampling Interval (pixel size): 30 m reflective, 120 m

thermal

NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

Band 3 Visible Red (0.63 – 0.69 µm) 30 m Band 4 Near-Infrared (0.76 – 0.90 µm) 30 m

NDVI = (NIR 4 - VIS 3) / (NIR 4 + VIS 3) NDVI varies between -1.0 and +1.0

NDVI • The pigment in plant leaves, chlorophyll, strongly

absorbs visible light (from 0.4 to 0.7 µm) for use in photosynthesis.

• The cell structure of the leaves strongly reflects near-infrared light (from 0.7 to 1.1 µm).

NDVI • A dense vegetation canopy (0.3 to 0.8)

• Soils (0.1 to 0.2) Reflects near-infrared spectral somewhat larger than the red spectral

• Clear Water (very low positive or even slightly negative) low reflectance in both spectral bands

NDVI – Summary

NDVI - measurement of Photosynthetic or Greenness

GIS Process 1) Downloaded the Landsat 5 data from USGS

• Landsat 5 tracks over every 16 days • St George on the edge of a path of the satellite • Problem

• Cloud Cover • Satellite Technical Problems

2) Process the Landsat data into NDVI • ArcGIS

3) Calculate the NDVI at Survey Locations • Bilinear interpolation

   

   

St George – Average NDVI 2010

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

St George 2010

St George 2010

   

   

Mormon Mesa – Average NDVI 2010

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Mormon Mesa 2010

Mormon Mesa 2010

   

   

St George – Avg NDVI for 2010 / 2011

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

St George 2010

St George 2011

   

   

Mormon Mesa – Avg NDVI 2010 / 2011 (with Beetles)

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Mormon Mesa 2010

Mormon Mesa 2011

GIS Question

Using NDVI values from Landsat 5 data (30 m) can one detect tamarisk leaf beetles defoliation along the Virgin River 2004 - 2010

Survey Locations along the Virgin River

• Near the town of St George • Near Mormon Mesa

 

 

15‐Jan‐05 15‐Jan‐06 15‐Jan‐07 15‐Jan‐08 15‐Jan‐09 15‐Jan‐10 15‐Jan‐11

7 ‐ St George 0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0 15‐Jan‐04

‐0.1

7 ‐ St George

St George Point 7 – NDVI

 

 

15‐Jan‐05 15‐Jan‐06 15‐Jan‐07 15‐Jan‐08 15‐Jan‐09 15‐Jan‐10 15‐Jan‐11

16 ‐ St George 0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0 15‐Jan‐04

‐0.1

16 ‐ St George

St George Point 16 – NDVI

 

 

12 ‐Mormon Mesa 0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

12 ‐Mormon Mesa

15‐Jan‐04 15‐Jan‐05 15‐Jan‐06 15‐Jan‐07 15‐Jan‐08 15‐Jan‐09 15‐Jan‐10 15‐Jan‐11

Mormon Mesa Point 12 – NDVI

 

 

5 ‐Mormon Mesa 0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

5 ‐Mormon Mesa

15‐Jan‐04 15‐Jan‐05 15‐Jan‐06 15‐Jan‐07 15‐Jan‐08 15‐Jan‐09 15‐Jan‐10 15‐Jan‐11

Mormon Mesa Point 5 – NDVI

Compare Sites

   

   

   

   

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

Mormon Mesa 2004

Mormon Mesa 2006

Mormon Mesa 2008

Mormon Mesa 2010

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Mormon Mesa

   

   

   

   

St George

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

St George 2004

St George 2006

St George 2008

St George 2010

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

 

0.6

0.5

0.4

Mormon Mesa

St George

0.3

0.2

0.1

0 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9

2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011

NDVI 2004 - 2010

Variability in System • Winter Rains

• Variability in Vegetation

• Virgin River Flow

• Summer Heat

                                               

      

     

Mormon Mesa ‐ Virgin River cfs

800

700

600

500

400 Mormon Mesa ‐Virgin River cfs

300

200

100

0

2006

42006

72006

10

2007

12007

42007

72007

10

2008

12008

42008

72008

10

2009

12009

42009

72009

10

2010

12010

42010

72010

10

2011

12011

42011

72011

10

2012

1

Virgin River cfs

                                                                 

     

    

Virgin River cfs

0.00

500.00

1,000.00

1,500.00

2,000.00

St George ‐ Virgin River cfs

St George ‐Virgin River cfs

2004

12004

42004

72004

10

2005

12005

42005

72005

10

2006

12006

42006

72006

10

2007

12007

42007

72007

10

2008

12008

42008

72008

10

2009

12009

42009

72009

10

2010

12010

42010

72010

10

2011

12011

42011

72011

10

2012

1

Problems On November 18, 2011 USGS suspended Landsat 5 imaging activities in order to explore options for restoring satellite-to-ground image transmissions. It remains to be seen if there is any hope of salvaging the rapidly degrading electronic component of the transmitter.