NASA Delta-X Project: Forest Biomass and Vegetation Maps for Louisiana Wetlands

NASA's Delta-X Project provides estimates of forest aboveground biomass and vegetation type maps for the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne Basins in coastal Louisiana. The data were derived from AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral imagery and UAVSAR radar products using machine learning models trained on in-situ plot data from 2015 and 2021. Field measurements of biomass, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content from herbaceous wetlands were also collected during spring and fall of 2021.

Use Cases

• Modeling carbon sequestration potential based on aboveground biomass estimates.
• Classifying wetland vegetation types based on AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral reflectance.
• Analyzing biomass distribution across a salinity gradient from freshwater to saline ecosystems.
• Validating satellite-derived biomass products with field-measured plot data.

Strengths

• Data integrates multiple sensor types: AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral and UAVSAR radar.
• Machine learning models are trained on in-situ forest plot data from 2015 and 2021.
• Field data includes total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content for herbaceous biomass.
• Spatial coverage is focused on two distinct basins in coastal Louisiana.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

NASA Delta-X Project

Collection Method

Remote sensing data processed with machine learning models calibrated by field plot measurements.

Time Range

2015, 2021 (Spring and Fall)

Freshness

Data collection periods include 2015 and 2021; last platform update is unknown.

Geography

Atchafalaya and Terrebonne Basins, coastal Louisiana, United States