Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine

Changes in carbon stock are a key indicator for assessing the carbon-pool function and the impact of regional carbon cycling on climate. Mangroves, as an essential component of coastal ecosystems, play a critical role in carbon sequestration. However, traditional carbon-sink assessments often overlo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ruiwen Zhang, Jianchao Fan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/6/964
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850280459183849472
author Ruiwen Zhang
Jianchao Fan
author_facet Ruiwen Zhang
Jianchao Fan
author_sort Ruiwen Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Changes in carbon stock are a key indicator for assessing the carbon-pool function and the impact of regional carbon cycling on climate. Mangroves, as an essential component of coastal ecosystems, play a critical role in carbon sequestration. However, traditional carbon-sink assessments often overlook biophysical differences between mangrove species and depend on field measurements, which are constrained by the challenging geographical conditions of the intertidal zone. This leads to biases and operational difficulties in estimating carbon stock. To address these challenges, this study proposes a fine-scale method for inter-species carbon-stock assessment, integrating mangrove three-dimensional structural information and spectral characteristics through Google Earth Engine (GEE). By combining GEDI data and Sentinel-2 imagery, this approach incorporates both vertical structure and spectral characteristics, overcoming the limitations of traditional models that neglect inter-species differences and vertical structural information. As a result, the accuracy of carbon-stock estimation is significantly improved. Unlike previous studies, this paper achieves a fully remote sensing-based partial carbon-stock assessment for mangrove species and quantifies carbon stock using the InVEST model, addressing the limitations of previous carbon-sink models. Specifically, on the GEE platform, Sentinel-2 imagery is used for inter-species classification through a random forest (RF) model, while a relationship model between canopy height and biomass is established using GEDI data to estimate biomass. To optimize feature selection, this study introduces a forward feature selection (FFS) approach, which incrementally selects the most predictive features, enhancing the stability and accuracy of the model. By combining biomass and classification results, a remote sensing-based carbon-sink assessment for mangroves is achieved. The study quantifies and visualizes the carbon stock of different mangrove species in Dongzhaigang, revealing that the region’s annual carbon stock totals 302,558.77 t. This validates the superiority and accuracy of the proposed method.
format Article
id doaj-art-bdacd28e87e64ea0bf853cbe590658af
institution OA Journals
issn 2072-4292
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj-art-bdacd28e87e64ea0bf853cbe590658af2025-08-20T01:48:45ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-03-0117696410.3390/rs17060964Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth EngineRuiwen Zhang0Jianchao Fan1College of Marine Technology and Environment, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, ChinaSchool of Control Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, ChinaChanges in carbon stock are a key indicator for assessing the carbon-pool function and the impact of regional carbon cycling on climate. Mangroves, as an essential component of coastal ecosystems, play a critical role in carbon sequestration. However, traditional carbon-sink assessments often overlook biophysical differences between mangrove species and depend on field measurements, which are constrained by the challenging geographical conditions of the intertidal zone. This leads to biases and operational difficulties in estimating carbon stock. To address these challenges, this study proposes a fine-scale method for inter-species carbon-stock assessment, integrating mangrove three-dimensional structural information and spectral characteristics through Google Earth Engine (GEE). By combining GEDI data and Sentinel-2 imagery, this approach incorporates both vertical structure and spectral characteristics, overcoming the limitations of traditional models that neglect inter-species differences and vertical structural information. As a result, the accuracy of carbon-stock estimation is significantly improved. Unlike previous studies, this paper achieves a fully remote sensing-based partial carbon-stock assessment for mangrove species and quantifies carbon stock using the InVEST model, addressing the limitations of previous carbon-sink models. Specifically, on the GEE platform, Sentinel-2 imagery is used for inter-species classification through a random forest (RF) model, while a relationship model between canopy height and biomass is established using GEDI data to estimate biomass. To optimize feature selection, this study introduces a forward feature selection (FFS) approach, which incrementally selects the most predictive features, enhancing the stability and accuracy of the model. By combining biomass and classification results, a remote sensing-based carbon-sink assessment for mangroves is achieved. The study quantifies and visualizes the carbon stock of different mangrove species in Dongzhaigang, revealing that the region’s annual carbon stock totals 302,558.77 t. This validates the superiority and accuracy of the proposed method.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/6/964mangrovemulti-source datasetsGEEcarbon sink
spellingShingle Ruiwen Zhang
Jianchao Fan
Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
Remote Sensing
mangrove
multi-source datasets
GEE
carbon sink
title Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
title_full Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
title_fullStr Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
title_full_unstemmed Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
title_short Classification and Carbon-Stock Estimation of Mangroves in Dongzhaigang Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data Using Google Earth Engine
title_sort classification and carbon stock estimation of mangroves in dongzhaigang based on multi source remote sensing data using google earth engine
topic mangrove
multi-source datasets
GEE
carbon sink
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/6/964
work_keys_str_mv AT ruiwenzhang classificationandcarbonstockestimationofmangrovesindongzhaigangbasedonmultisourceremotesensingdatausinggoogleearthengine
AT jianchaofan classificationandcarbonstockestimationofmangrovesindongzhaigangbasedonmultisourceremotesensingdatausinggoogleearthengine