Mangrove recognition and extraction using multispectral remote sensing data in Beibu Gulf

Beibu Gulf is the main mangrove growth district in Guangxi province of China. Tieshan Harbor in the Beibu Gulf was chosen as the study area for this research. Based on the pixel spectral reflectance angle formed by the VIS/NIR bands in the multispectral remote sensing images of HJ-1A satellite, a red band angle vegetation index (RAVI) was proposed, which would be beneficial for separating vegetation on land and water. The mangrove judging standard was formed using a combination of RAVI and pixel band reflectance standard deviation (BStdev). Based on the indices analysis and growth area generation, the mangrove extraction mode was established, which effectively captured the mangrove spatial distribution from sparse to dense coverage and in different shapes along the coastline of Beibu Gulf.