TY  - JOUR
A1  - Estrany, Joan
A1  - Ruiz, Maurici
A1  - Calsamiglia, Aleix
A1  - Carriqui, Marc
A1  - Garcia-Comendador, Julian
A1  - Nadal, Miquel
A1  - Fortesa, Josep
A1  - López-Tarazón, José Andrés
A1  - Medrano, Hipolito
A1  - Gago, Jorge
T1  - Sediment connectivity linked to vegetation using UAVs
BT  - High-resolution imagery for ecosystem management
JF  - The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man
N2  - In this study, a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle was used to obtain multi-spectral high-resolution imagery (1.4 cmpx(-1)) from2 microcatchments (3.3 ha) with burned Mediterranean shrubland and pine forests. This imagery was used to calculate the blue normalized differential vegetation index and to generate digital elevation models for estimating the sediment connectivity index. Both indices enabled an integrated approach for deciphering how hydrological and sediment connectivity interact with vegetation as well as soil conservation structures. The application of spatial analysis improves our understanding of the feedback between biological and geomorphological processes. Local spatial data analysis established a significant link between local geomorphological and biological factors, enabling a precise identification of homogeneous areas at micro-catchment scale and the minimal size of vegetation units reacting to geomorphology as natural groups at plot-scale where management strategies and efforts should be applied. Establishing this local relationship between sediment connectivity and vegetation patterns through new and interdisciplinary methodologies represents a new strategy for the assessment of ecosystem dynamics and management.
KW  - Ecogeomorphology
KW  - Mediterranean shrubland
KW  - Burned areas
KW  - UAVs
KW  - BNDVI
KW  - Sediment connectivity
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.399
SN  - 0048-9697
SN  - 1879-1026
VL  - 671
SP  - 1192
EP  - 1205
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  -