Development of spectral library of mangrove native species of the Muthupet lagoon, Tamil Nadu, India using field spectroscopic instrument

Abstract

In the recent trends, the spectro-radiometer technique has proved its significance in the development of spectral library of earth&rsquo;s surface materials to support the hyperspectral image interpretation and analysis. To enhance the efficiency of hyperspectral image classification, acquisition of spectral signature must be carried out. A practical study was carried out on Muthupet mangrove forest, Tamil Nadu, India. According to remote sensing data, the selected study shows as contiguous lagoon, and <em>Avicennia marina </em>(95 % occupancy) is the majority community of the study area followed by <em>Acanthus ilicifolius, </em>and <em>Aegiceras corniculatum</em>. It is the first attempt to develop the spectral library for mangrove true species, and mangrove associates for the Muthupet lagoon, Tamil Nadu, India. With detailed field visits, by using the analytic spectral device (ASD), the spectral library built for prominent 6 true mangrove species such as <em>Acanthus ilicifolius, Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia marina, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophora mucronata</em>) in connection to that 5 mangrove associates <em>Salicornia brachiata, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Suaeda martima, Suaeda monoica, </em>and <em>Azims tetracantha. </em>The reflectance and absorption of each species was observed, and built a spectral library of mangroves species. It is found that <em>Acanthus ilicifolius</em> provides high reflectance than others. This spectral library can be useful for mangroves species identification using hyperspectral data.