Using remote sensing to estimate the change of carbon storage: A case study in the estuary of Yellow River delta

• Published in: International journal of remote sensing Vol. 23; no. 8; pp. 1565 - 1580
• Main Authors: He, Canfei, Wang, Shaoqiang, Xu, Jun, Zhou, Chenghu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2002; Taylor and Francis
• Subjects: Applied geophysics; Areal geology. Maps; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Geologic maps, cartography; Internal geophysics; Marine and continental quaternary; Surficial geology; Bohai Bay; Huang Ho; Far East; Northwest Pacific; Yellow Sea; China; impact statements; Thematic Mapper; maps; land cover maps; Space remote sensing; Landsat; vegetation; carbon cycle; storage; classification; image analysis; land use; Asia; carbon; ecosystems; Pacific Ocean; estuaries; soils; deltas; organic carbon; land cover; deltaic environment
• ISSN: 0143-1161; 1366-5901
• DOI: 10.1080/014311602753590887

Land cover change can exert a crucial effect on the terrestrial carbon cycle. To estimate changes in the carbon pools and carbon fluxes to the atmosphere, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data of 1992 and 1996 were used to calculate the extent of different land cover types and their changes in the estuary area of the Yellow River delta. Image processing and the unsupervised classification allowed accurate land cover maps for 1992 and 1996 to be generated, by which the changes in the carbon pools were detected. Estimation of the carbon pools and the carbon fluxes to the atmosphere was carried out employing the results of Landsat image analysis and the published data on carbon stocks in vegetation and soil. By calculating the area changed between different types of vegetation and their different carbon stocks, the quantity of the terrestrial carbon cycle in the estuary area of the Yellow River delta was acquired. The results shows that the vegetation carbon storage was 11.43 2 10 11 g and soil carbon pool 7.24 2 10 12 g in 1992, and the vegetation carbon pool increased by 3.77 2 10 11 g during the 4 years from 1992 to 1996.