A UAV and S2A data-based estimation of the initial biomass of green algae in the South Yellow Sea

Fuxiang Xu; Zhiqiang Gao; Xiaopeng Jiang; Weitao Shang; Jicai Ning; Debin Song; Jinquan Ai

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.061

A UAV and S2A data-based estimation of the initial biomass of green algae in the South Yellow Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2018 Mar:128:408-414. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.061. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Authors

Fuxiang Xu¹, Zhiqiang Gao², Xiaopeng Jiang³, Weitao Shang³, Jicai Ning³, Debin Song⁴, Jinquan Ai⁵

Affiliations

¹ Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Public Administration, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai 264005, China.
² Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China. Electronic address: zqgao@yic.ac.cn.
³ Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China.
⁴ Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.

PMID: 29571390
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.061

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the initial biomass of green tide was the green algae attaching to Pyropia aquaculture rafts in the Southern Yellow Sea. In this study, the green algae was identified with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an biomass estimation model was proposed for green algae biomass in the radial sand ridge area based on Sentinel-2A image (S2A) and UAV images. The result showed that the green algae was detected highly accurately with the normalized green-red difference index (NGRDI); approximately 1340 tons and 700 tons of green algae were attached to rafts and raft ropes respectively, and the lower biomass might be the main cause for the smaller scale of green tide in 2017. In addition, UAV play an important role in raft-attaching green algae monitoring and long-term research of its biomass would provide a scientific basis for the control and forecast of green tide in the Yellow Sea.

Keywords: Biomass; Green algae; Pyropia aquaculture raft; S2A; UAV; Yellow Sea.

MeSH terms

Aquaculture*
Biomass*
China
Chlorophyta / growth & development*
Databases, Factual
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Eutrophication
Oceans and Seas
Satellite Imagery
Seawater / chemistry