• HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

New research lifts the clouds on land clearing and biodiversity loss

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 30, 2021
in Science News
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

IMAGE

Credit: Tim Macuga, QUT

QUT researchers have developed a new machine learning mathematical system that helps to identify and detect changes in biodiversity, including land clearing, when satellite imagery is obstructed by clouds.

Using statistical methods to quantify uncertainty, the research, published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, analysed available satellite images of an 180km square area in central south-east Queensland.

The region is home to many native species including the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat and the vulnerable greater glider, and the area mainly consists of forest, pasture, and agricultural land.

Dr Jacinta Holloway-Brown says measuring changes in forest cover over time is essential to track and preserve habitats and is a key sustainable development goal by the United Nations and World Bank to manage forests sustainably.

“Satellite imagery is important as it is too difficult and expensive to frequently collect field data over large, forested areas,” Dr Holloway-Brown said.

“The problem with using satellite imagery is large portions of the earth are obscured by clouds and this cloud cover causes large and frequent amounts of missing data.”

Dr Holloway-Brown said it was estimated based on 12 years of satellite imagery on average approximately 67 per cent of the earth is obscured by cloud cover.

“Using our method, we can compare pixel by pixel what type of land cover there is and if it has changed since the last image. For example, if the pixel was forest in the last image and in the next a week or so later it has changed to soil or a tree stump, we are able to detect that,” she said.

The research involved calculating two simulated types of clearing events, clear felling which involves removing all trees from the area and burning to prepare for future growth and, secondly, tree thinning which involves only removing trees from the area, leaving smaller shrubs, grassland, and pasture behind.

By simulating clouds, the researchers, which includes QUT’s Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen and Dr Kate Helmstedt, could “test the limits” of the method and know how well or not it could predict what was underneath the clouds.

The results showed the method accurately detected simulated land cover change under both clear felling and tree thinning.

“We get the most up to date predictions of missing data due to clouds by training our machine learning method at the edges of those clouds and predicting the missing areas,” she said.

Dr Holloway-Brown is due to present the research to the United Nations Task Team on Earth Observation Data.

“There are real possibilities to use our method to make a real difference to forest monitoring,” she said.

###

The researchers are part of the QUT-based Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers.

Media Contact
[email protected]
[email protected]

Original Source

https://cms.qut.edu.au/corpsite/news?id=177568

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rse2.221

Tags: AgricultureAlgorithms/ModelsClimate ChangeClimate ScienceEarth ScienceEcology/EnvironmentForestryMathematics/StatisticsTechnology/Engineering/Computer Science
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Enzyme decrease triggers cancer metastasis

Scientists find trigger that sets off metastasis in pancreatic cancer

June 29, 2022
Northern Arizona University Assistant Professor Jason Ladner

Shedding light on reptilian health: Researchers investigate origins of snake fungal disease in U.S.

June 29, 2022

Dissolving the problem: Organic vapor induces dissolution of molecular salts

June 29, 2022

New kangaroo described – from PNG

June 29, 2022
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Pacific whiting

    Oregon State University research finds evidence to suggest Pacific whiting skin has anti-aging properties that prevent wrinkles

    37 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 9
  • University of Miami Rosenstiel School selected for National ‘Reefense’ Initiative focusing on Florida and the Caribbean

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9
  • Saving the Mekong delta from drowning

    37 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 9
  • Sharks may be closer to the city than you think, new study finds

    34 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Tags

VehiclesVaccineUniversity of WashingtonVirusZoology/Veterinary ScienceUrbanizationVirologyVaccinesWeaponryViolence/CriminalsUrogenital SystemWeather/Storms

Recent Posts

  • Scientists find trigger that sets off metastasis in pancreatic cancer
  • Shedding light on reptilian health: Researchers investigate origins of snake fungal disease in U.S.
  • Dissolving the problem: Organic vapor induces dissolution of molecular salts
  • New kangaroo described – from PNG
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....