Landsat satellites provide high-quality, multi-spectral imagery of the surface of the Earth. These moderate-resolution, remotely sensed images are not just pictures, but contain many layers of data collected at different points along the visible and invisible light spectrum.
Flood Extent Monitoring in Riparian Forests, Australia
Landsat imagery is also used by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia, to map flood extent in some of the major riparian forests along the Murray River (New South Wales and Victorian border). The results of flood mapping are used as an input to hydrological models in some instances, and in other cases as an independent source used for the calibration of model outcomes. Hydrological models are actively used as management tools. The cost of satellite images has a direct bearing on how often flood mapping is carried out to support forest management. In the absence of Landsat data, alternative sources (for example, SPOT-5) cost about $3,853 ($4,000 in Australian dollars) for the Barmah-Millewa forests (fig. 1), and the same amount for the Gunbower and Koondrook-Perricoota forests within the Murray Valley riparian systems. The current frequency of monitoring and flood mapping would not be possible without Landsat imagery availability (Kathryn Sheffield and Mohammad Abuzar, Department of Environment and Primary Industries , written commun., 2013).
Walker Basin is home to Walker Lake, a natural desert lake in Nevada at the terminus of the Walker River stream system of Nevada and California. Agricultural demand for water in the region has decreased the freshwater inflows to the lake. Since the early 1900’s, the lake’s elevation has been declining. Insufficient inflows of fresh water have contributed to an increase in salinity levels which threaten the ecological health of the lake. The lake is critical to recovery of the threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. It is also an important stopover for migratory waterfowl such as Common Loons (Walker Basin Restoration Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 2012).
The Klamath Basin covers over 12,000 mi² in southern Oregon and northern California and contains natural resources and economic opportunities related to fisheries, farming, ranching, timber harvest, mining, and recreation. (fig. 1A on the Science tab). These resources and opportunities economically sustain many communities throughout the basin, including six federally recognized Indian tribes who depend on many of these same natural resources to support their way of life and spiritual wellbeing, as they have for thousands of years (U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, and National Marine Fishery Service, 2012).
Idaho water law, like much of the water law in the western United States, is based on the prior appropriation doctrine. The doctrine states that the water right is authorized for beneficial use based on the priority date: “first in time, first in right.” In cases where there is not enough water to satisfy all the water rights, junior water-rights holders must curtail their water use until the senior water-rights holders receive their allocated amount. In some cases this means that the junior holders receive no water.
The Water Accounting and Verification group of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) uses Landsat data for various tasks. These include mapping, monitoring, and quantifying crop and riparian vegetation types and associated acreage for water resource and other management activities. The monitoring area includes the Colorado River from the Hoover Dam to Mexico and the adjacent agricultural areas. This represents approximately 870,000 acres of irrigated lands and approximately 500,000 acres of riparian area, totaling 1,370,000 acres.
- Overview
Landsat satellites provide high-quality, multi-spectral imagery of the surface of the Earth. These moderate-resolution, remotely sensed images are not just pictures, but contain many layers of data collected at different points along the visible and invisible light spectrum.
Flood mapping in 2002 in the Barmah-Millewa forests, north-central Victoria and south-central New South Wales, Australia. Courtesy of the Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries. Flood Extent Monitoring in Riparian Forests, Australia
Landsat imagery is also used by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries in Victoria, Australia, to map flood extent in some of the major riparian forests along the Murray River (New South Wales and Victorian border). The results of flood mapping are used as an input to hydrological models in some instances, and in other cases as an independent source used for the calibration of model outcomes. Hydrological models are actively used as management tools. The cost of satellite images has a direct bearing on how often flood mapping is carried out to support forest management. In the absence of Landsat data, alternative sources (for example, SPOT-5) cost about $3,853 ($4,000 in Australian dollars) for the Barmah-Millewa forests (fig. 1), and the same amount for the Gunbower and Koondrook-Perricoota forests within the Murray Valley riparian systems. The current frequency of monitoring and flood mapping would not be possible without Landsat imagery availability (Kathryn Sheffield and Mohammad Abuzar, Department of Environment and Primary Industries , written commun., 2013).
Walker Basin, Nevada. Photo by Mark Gamba, courtesy of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Walker Basin is home to Walker Lake, a natural desert lake in Nevada at the terminus of the Walker River stream system of Nevada and California. Agricultural demand for water in the region has decreased the freshwater inflows to the lake. Since the early 1900’s, the lake’s elevation has been declining. Insufficient inflows of fresh water have contributed to an increase in salinity levels which threaten the ecological health of the lake. The lake is critical to recovery of the threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. It is also an important stopover for migratory waterfowl such as Common Loons (Walker Basin Restoration Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 2012).
Klamath River and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Klamath Basin covers over 12,000 mi² in southern Oregon and northern California and contains natural resources and economic opportunities related to fisheries, farming, ranching, timber harvest, mining, and recreation. (fig. 1A on the Science tab). These resources and opportunities economically sustain many communities throughout the basin, including six federally recognized Indian tribes who depend on many of these same natural resources to support their way of life and spiritual wellbeing, as they have for thousands of years (U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, and National Marine Fishery Service, 2012).
Dry streambed of Big Timber Creek, Idaho, at a gaging station in April, 2004, illustrating the effects of diversion for irrigation. Courtesy of Idaho Department of Water Resources. Idaho water law, like much of the water law in the western United States, is based on the prior appropriation doctrine. The doctrine states that the water right is authorized for beneficial use based on the priority date: “first in time, first in right.” In cases where there is not enough water to satisfy all the water rights, junior water-rights holders must curtail their water use until the senior water-rights holders receive their allocated amount. In some cases this means that the junior holders receive no water.
GIS agricultural field border database displayed with Landsat imagery showing the difference between a cropped field (in red) and a fallow field (in light green). Numbers represent acreage of individual fields. Courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Water Accounting and Verification group of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) uses Landsat data for various tasks. These include mapping, monitoring, and quantifying crop and riparian vegetation types and associated acreage for water resource and other management activities. The monitoring area includes the Colorado River from the Hoover Dam to Mexico and the adjacent agricultural areas. This represents approximately 870,000 acres of irrigated lands and approximately 500,000 acres of riparian area, totaling 1,370,000 acres.