Monitoring the phenology of mediterranean natural habitats with multispectral sensors — An analysis based on multiseasonal field spectra

Due to their high degree of vegetation heterogeneity, fragmentation and biodiversity, Mediterranean natural habitats are difficult to assess and monitor with in-situ observations solely. Together with standardized ground plots and regular in-situ measurements, remote sensing is a powerful device that can contribute to a better understanding of the diversity of natural and semi-natural habitats and to monitor their phenology. In this paper, we implemented a systematic test of the suitability of multiseasonal remote sensing data for monitoring the phenological variations of natural habitats in a Mediterranean landscape. Six multispectral sensor signals were simulated for comparison based on their spectral response curves and in-situ averaged spectra collected at monthly intervals between February and October 2013 (IKONOS, Landsat 5 TM, Landsat 8, Pléiades, Sentinel-2, and Worldview-2). The simulations and comparisons performed in this study showed that Sentinel-2 sensor has the higher sensitivity to the variations in the coverage of photosynthetic vegetation, thus offering interesting perspectives for operational monitoring of natural habitats.