@article{PAR00002489,
  title = {{L}ong-term monitoring of land cover changes based on {L}andsat imagery to improve hydrological modelling in {W}est {A}frica},
  author = {{R}uelland, {D}. and {D}ezetter, {A}lain and {P}uech, {C}. and {A}rdoin {B}ardin, {S}andra},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he spatial and temporal variability of land cover changes is a fundamental parameter to integrate when modelling water resources in order to reproduce the relations between rainfall and surface flow more precisely. {T}his is particularly important in {W}est {A}frica, where the land cover has been changing for more than 40 years under the combined impact of climatic effects and human activities. {I}n this study, we evaluated the potential of {L}andsat imagery to monitor the vegetation cover in the upper {N}iger watershed (120 000 km(2)) using archive images from {MSS}, {TM} and {ETM}+ sensors covering three periods of time around 1975, 1985, and 2000. {B}ecause of the heterogeneity of the acquisition dates, the spatial and spectral resolution of the images, and the scale of analysis, we chose a simple system of classification. {P}retreatments were applied to reduce variations between the images. {V}egetation indices ({NDVI}) were then calculated and subsequently thresholded using the same land-cover classification system. {T}he thresholds were then optimized by automated recursive calculations of confusion matrices and control parcels. {O}ur results revealed that although the accuracy was not perfect, it was nevertheless possible to estimate changes using an unconventional spatio-temporal scale. {T}he resulting changes were characterized by a moderate trend to deforestation with a corresponding increase in bare soils, soils with sparse vegetation, and shrublands. {T}he spatial layers produced were then combined with a soil map to incorporate changes in surface conditions in the hydrological modelling of the {N}iger {R}iver.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{I}nternational {J}ournal of {R}emote {S}ensing},
  volume = {29},
  numero = {12},
  pages = {3533--3551},
  ISSN = {0143-1161},
  year = {2008},
  DOI = {10.1080/01431160701758699},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00002489},
}