Satellite Images Applied to Assess the Influence of Amazon River Seasonal Dynamic on the Floodplain Lake Morphology

Andreia M. S. França¹, Teresa G. Florenzano², Evlyn M. L. M. Novo²

¹Instituto Federal de Brasília, Campus Samambaia, Brasilia, Brazil.
²Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Divisao de Sensoriamento Remoto, Sao José dos Campos, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/oje.2014.413070                

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the influence of the Amazon River seasonal dynamic on floodplain lake morphology. The study area includes the Amazon River floodplain reach encompassed by the Madeira and Tapajós River confluences. Products from the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used to derive variables such as lake size, shape and number. The main steps in the research were: data base implementation, legend definition, image processing (merge, segmentation, classification and edition), morphological mapping and quantitative assessment. Four classes of lacustrine morphology were defined in this study: circular/elliptical, elongated, composite, and dendritic. The result showed that 1) the lake class increased 18.38% from the low- to high-water period; 2) there was a reduction in the total number of lakes from low to high water; 3) the most common lake type was the circular/elliptical; and 4) better results were obtained integrating SAR and optical sensors.

Keywords

Amazon River Floodplain, Seasonal Dynamic, Morphological Lakes, Remote Sensing, SAR-JERS-1/GRFM, MOD09-TERRA

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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