M. Duane Nellis

Expansion of gallery forest on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas, USA

To determine the dynamics of the spatial extent of gallery forest on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA), aerial photographs taken over a 46 year time frame were digitized into an ARC-INFO Geographic Information System (GIS). A Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to collect ground control points to co-register the photographs for each year. Gallery forest areas for the three major drainage boundaries (Kings Creek, Shane Creek, and White Pasture) were analyzed to assess the uniformity of change in the landscape system. Results indicated that the total gallery forest area on KPRNA has increased in area from 157 ha in 1939 to over 241 ha in 1985. During this time, there was an increase in the total number of patches and a decrease in the mean size of forest patches. However, the rate of increase was not consistent over this time period, nor was it uniform from one drainage basin or stream order to another. Detailed spatial analysis of the forested area with a geomorphology and digital elevation model of Konza Prairie showed that in 1985, 58% of the forest was on alluvial/colluvial soil, yet only 15% of that soil type was forested. In addition, over 70% of the forest was on the 0–15% slope interval, but only 15–20% of that slope interval was forested. These results may be attributed to a variety of factors such as changing management practices (i.e., frequency of fires and herbicide spraying) and the temporal constraints on extent to which the gallery forest can expand across the landscape.

Remote sensing of temporal and spatial variations in pool size, suspended sediment, turbidity, and Secchi depth in Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Kansas: 1993

Abstract Four dates of Landsat Thematic Mapper data from 1993, April 9, July 30, August 15, and September 16, were used to assess temporal and spatial patterns of lake area and dimensions of suspended sediment concentration in Tuttle Creek Reservoir, Kansas. In 1993, excessive precipitation in the Big Blue River Basin, and throughout much of the Upper Middle West, led to widespread flooding. Rains produced substantial erosion, sediment movement down the stream network, and a runoff volume that filled Tuttle Creek Reservoir, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control structure. The April 9 data are from before the flood, the July 30 data are from the time of maximum pool size and use of the emergency spillway, and the August and September data document the declining pool sizes. Three separate analyses were performed on each of the four dates of Thematic Mapper data. One set of analyses involved applying an existing physical model that uses at-satellite reflectance for TM Band 3 to estimate variations in suspended sediment, turbidity, and Secchi depth throughout the reservoir. Maps of estimated parameters of water quality for the four individual dates were compared and analyzed to document spatial and temporal changes. The second research method involved unsupervised classification (ERDAS ISODATA algorithm) of the data from the Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Water areas were grouped into coherent classes for further spatial analysis using a two-step or layered classification procedure for each date. The third analysis used a GIS overlay technique to compare the area of the water surface for each of the four dates with the flood pool as marked on U.S.G.S. 7-1/2 minute quadrangles. Comparisons document the major change in lake area between April and July, the high levels of suspended sediment in mid-summer, and the decline in pool size and concentrations of suspended sediment by mid-September. The study illustrates the advantages of using remote sensing to assist in documenting a relatively short-term environmental hazard. This study also demonstrates the value of Landsat Thematic Mapper data for use in mapping geographic variations in water area and quality in conjunction with a major flood event.

Technology in Geographic Education: Reflections and Future Directions.

Abstract Enhancing geographic education must include the integration of spatial technologies. With the wealth of information and the integration of information associated with geography, technology is a natural link to maximize our ability to understand spatial processes and with that to think geographically. Through telecommunication, computer graphics, geography computer programs and simulations, as well as GIS, GPS, and remote sensing, geography educators and students can address a broader range of spatial questions than was previously possible. Future directions require the development of exemplary curriculum materials, a greater network of technology users coordinated through the Geographic Alliances, private and federal cooperation for diffusion of software and hardware to geography teachers, and standardized efforts relative to ethics in information.

The Sage handbook of remote sensing

Remote Sensing Data Selection Issues - Timothy A. Warner, Duane Nellis, and Giles M. Foody PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Remote Sensing Data Selection Issues - Timothy A. Warner, Duane Nellis, and Giles M. Foody Remote Sensing Policy - Ray Harris PART TWO: ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION & THE TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT Visible, Near-IR & Shortwave IR Spectral Characteristics of Terrestrial Surfaces - Willem van Leeuwen Interactions of Middle Infrared (3-5 m) Radiation with the Environment - Arthur Cracknell and D. S. Boyd Thermal Remote Sensing in Earth Science Research - Dale Quattrochi and Jeffrey C. Luvall Polarimetric SAR Phenomenology and Inversion Techniques for Vegetated Terrain - Mahta Moghaddam PART THREE: DIGITAL SENSORS AND IMAGE CHARACTERISTICS Optical Sensor Technology - John Kerekes Fine spatial resolution optical sensors - Thierry Toutin Moderate Spatial Resolution Optical Sensors - Samuel N. Goward, Terry Arvidson, Darrel L. Williams, Richard Irish and Jim Irons Coarse Resolution Optical Sensors - Chris Justice and Compton Tucker Airborne Digital Multispectral Imaging - Doug Stow, Lloyd L. Coulter and Cody A. Benkelman PART FOUR: REMOTE SENSING ANALYSIS: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION Imaging Spectrometers - Michael Schaepma Active and Passive Microwave Systems - Josef Kellndorfer and Kyle McDonald Airborne Laser Scanning - Juha Hyyppa, W. Wagner, M. Hollaus and H. Hyyppa Radiometry and reflectance: From terminology concepts to measured quantities - Gabriela Schaepman-Strub, Michael E. Schaepman, John V. Martonchik, Thomas H. Painter and Stefan Dangel Pre-Processing of Optical Imagery - Freek van der Meer and Harald van der Werff and Steven de Jong Surface Reference Data Collection - Chris Johannsen and Craig S. T. Daughtry Integrating Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems - James Merchant and Sunil Narumalani Image Classification - John Jensen, Jungho Im, Perry Hardin, Ryan R. Jensen Quantitative Models and Inversion in Optical Remote Sensing - Shunlin Liang Accuracy Assessment - Steve Stehman, Giles Foody PART FIVE: REMOTE SENSING ANALYSIS: APPLICATIONS A. LITHOSPHERIC SCIENCES Making Sense of the Third Dimension Through Topographic Analysis - Yongxin Deng Remote Sensing of Geology - Xianfeng Chen and David Campagna Remote Sensing of Soils - Jim Campbell B. PLANT SCIENCES Remote sensing for studies of vegetation condition: Theory and application - Mike Wulder, Joanne C. White, Nicholas C. Coops and Stephanie Ortlepp Remote Sensing of Cropland Agriculture - M. Duane Nellis, Kevin Price and Don Rundquist C. HYDROSPHERIC & CRYSOPHERIC SCIENCES Optical Remote Sensing of the Hydrosphere: From the open ocean to inland waters - Samantha Lavender Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere - Jeff Dozier D. GLOBAL CHANGE AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENTS Remote Sensing for Terrestrial Biogeochemical Modeling - Greg Asner and Scott V. Ollinger Remote Sensing of Urban Areas - Janet Nichol Remote sensing and the social sciences - Kelley Crews and Stephen J. Walsh Hazard Assessment and Disaster Management using Remote Sensing - Richard Teeuw, Paul Aplin, Nick McWilliam, Toby Wicks, Matthieu Kervyn and Gerald Ernst Remote Sensing of Land Cover Change - Timothy A. Warner, Abdullah Almutairi and Jong Yeol Lee PART SIX:. CONCLUSIONS Remote Sensing: A Look to the Future - Giles M. Foody, Timothy A. Warner and M. Duane Nellis

The effect of spatial scale on Konza landscape classification using textural analysis

Spatial scale is inherent in the definition of landscape heterogeneity and diversity. For example, a landscape may appear heterogeneous at one scale but quite homogeneous at another scale. In assessing the impact of burning and grazing on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (a tallgrass prairie), spatial scale is extremely important. Textural contrast algorithms were applied to various scales of remote sensing data and related to landscape units for assessment of heterogeneity under a variety of burning treatments. Acquired data sets included Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS), with 80 m resolution, Landsat thematic mapper (TM), with 30 m resolution, and high resolution density sliced aerial photography (with a 5 m resolution). Results suggest that heterogeneous areas of dense patchiness (e.g., unburned areas) must be analyzed at a finer scale than more homogeneous areas which are burned at least every four years.

Using conservation reserve program maps derived from satellite imagery to characterize landscape structure

Abstract The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) instituted one of the largest and most rapid land use/land cover conversions in US history. Approximately 14.8 million ha (36.5 million acres) of cropland were converted to grassland, woodland, and other conservation uses between 1986 and 1995. As policy makers continue to evaluate the future of the program and as scientists examine its effects, it is critical that the impact of CRP on landscape structure be considered because of its potential influence on wildlife populations. Utilizing multi-seasonal Landsat thematic mapper imagery in an unsupervised classification technique, we produced highly accurate maps of cropland and grassland for 1987 and 1992 for Finney County, Kansas. Post-classification differencing identified regions of cropland that had been converted to CRP. We then used the Finney County CRP map to examine changes in landscape structure caused by the introduction of CRP. Using the fragstats spatial pattern analysis program, we calculated the number of patches, mean patch size, patch density, edge density, mean shape index, nearest neighbor distance, and an interspersion/juxtaposition index. In addition, we calculated total grassland area and percent of area in grassland for the pre- and post-CRP enrollment years. We found that the total grassland area and the percent area in grassland in Finney County increased due to CRP and that mean grassland patch size also increased. The total number of grassland patches decreased, however, due to coalescence of smaller grassland patches. Patch density, edge density, mean shape index, nearest neighbor distance, and the interspersion/juxtaposition index all showed relatively small changes. These small changes appear to reflect geographic differences in CRP effects within the county—large aggregating patches in the northeast were offset by a number of isolated patches of CRP in other areas. The implication of these findings for wildlife managers is that, for species that require large areas of grassland habitat, especially habitat that is contiguous, CRP in Finney County represents a substantial increase in potential habitat. This holds for species at all levels of management interest, ranging from economically valuable species to species that are rare, threatened, and endangered. These findings emphasize the importance of CRP for wildlife conservation and should further inform ongoing debate concerning the importance of the CRP.

English Agriculture: An Historical Perspective

The Growth and Structure of Agricultural Output Prices, Policies and Prosperity Making and Using the Land The Changing Distribution of Crops The Productivity of the Land Land Use, Livestock and Densities The Ownership of Farmland Farmers and their Land Farm Distribution and Layout The Rise and Fall of the Farm Population Power on the Land Types of Farming and Agricultural Regions Farming in the Lowlands - Mixed Farming and its Decline Pigs and Poultry From Market Gardening to Horticulture Dairying Farming in the Uplands.

Mapping Land Cover in a High Plains Agro-ecosystem Using a Multidate Landsat Thematic Mapper Modeling Approach

The objective of this study was to develop a repeatable procedure for modeling land use and land cover (LULC) within one of the most agriculturally developed and economically significant areas of the High Plains region: Finney County in southwestern Kansas. The technique involved the use of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images for three seasons for each of three years (1987, 1989, and 1992). Through a series of image preprocessing and automated classification procedures we were able to discriminate between grassland and croplands more than 95% of the time (previous to this study, less than 70% classification accuracy was usual). As we refined the approach further, we were able to identify crop types: wheat, grain sorghum (milo), corn, and alfalfa, and fallowed lands with greater than 80% accuracy for all five classes, with most crop types mapped at more than 90% accuracy. We also developed a technique that correctly mapped U.S. Department of

Aboveground counts of black-tailed prairie dogs: temporal nature and relationship to burrow entrance density

Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies are important to many vertebrate populations in the shortgrass prairie ecosystem. Because it is often desirable to assess black-tailed prairie dog populations, and indirect methods generally are more economical than direct counts, we tested whether aboveground counts of black-tailed prairie dogs were related to burrow entrance densities. Higher densities of burrow entrances have been assumed to reflect higher prairie dog densities. We determined if maximum aboveground counts of black-tailed prairie dogs differed temporally in morning and evening in southwestern Kansas, compared maximum aboveground count data with burrow entrance densities, and evaluated the effect of juvenile prairie dog emergence on the temporal nature of morning and evening maximum above-ground counts

Mapping conservation reserve program (CRP) grasslands using multi‐seasonal thematic mapper imagery

Abstract This is a critical time for evaluating the status and success of the U.S. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a program that has resulted in the conversion of millions of hectares of cropland to grassland, woodland, and other conservation uses. In order to evaluate the effects of CRP on soil erosion, wildlife habitat, water pollution, and groundwater recharge, however, it is essential to have detailed digital maps that accurately identify CRP lands. Remote sensing techniques offer a means for developing such a database in an economical and accurate way. Utilizing multi‐seasonal imagery in an unsupervised classification technique, highly accurate maps of cropland and grassland were produced for 1987 and 1992 for Finney County, Kansas. Post‐classification differencing identified regions of cropland that had changed to grassland between the two years, indicating land that had been converted to CRP. Comparison of the CRP map with ground truth sources produced an accuracy of approximately 88%. Digital...