High-Resolution Wetland and Lake Classification from UAVSAR Radar

Land cover classification raster files focus on water and wetland vegetation classes across three Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) campaign regions in Alaska and Canada. The dataset was derived from NASA UAVSAR L-band synthetic aperture radar acquisitions between 2017 and 2019, with classifications trained and validated using field visits, UAV imagery, and satellite data. It includes both preliminary 13-class and final simplified 5-class versions, along with training data and lake characteristics.

Use Cases

• Mapping littoral zones of lakes as a proxy for potential methane emission sources using emergent aquatic vegetation classes.
• Training machine learning models for land cover classification with the included ground truth training and test datasets.
• Analyzing changes in wetland extent and type across the Yukon Flats, Peace-Athabasca Delta, and Canadian Shield regions.
• Fusing high-resolution 5-meter SAR-derived classifications with other ABoVE campaign datasets for integrated ecosystem studies.

Strengths

• Classification is trained and validated using multiple data sources including field visits, UAV images, and satellite imagery.
• Provides data at a high spatial resolution of approximately 5 meters.
• Covers three distinct ABoVE study regions over multiple years (2017-2019).
• Includes both detailed 13-class and simplified 5-class versions for different analysis needs.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 2019-09-19 and 2026-03-13.

Provenance

Source

NASA ABoVE Campaign, UAVSAR instrument, ORNL_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Derived from L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) airborne acquisitions, with classification from field data, UAV, and satellite imagery.

Time Range

2017-2019

Freshness

2026-03-13 20:15:03.712883

Geography

Yukon Flats, Alaska, USA; Peace-Athabasca Delta, Alberta, Canada; Canadian Shield, Northwest Territories, Canada.