An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Multiple Approaches to Long-Term Change Detection Applicable to Southwestern United States: A Case Study of the San Simon Watershed

Abstract

Watersheds in the Southwest, particularly the San Simon Watershed in Arizona, have been experiencing degradation since the turn of the century through processes of erosion and vegetation change. Mitigation and management actions rely on long-term assessment of landcover change; however, traditional methods of ground assessment are time-consuming and specific to particular sites. Remote sensing techniques can be an alternative method to assess landcover change over extensive areas. Forage inventory surveys and historical monitoring data were assessed for utility in landcover change detection. The contemporary remotely-sensed classifications included 2001 SwReGAP data and a CART classification of 2010 Landsat TM data. The CART classification was aided by shrub cover analysis of NAIP aerial photography. It was found that 1930s Grazing inventories were compatible with contemporary satellite image classifications for large-scale landcover change detection.