Hurricane Effects on Mangrove Canopies Observed from MODIS and SPOT Imagery

The effects of two hurricanes (Katrina and Wilma) on protected mangroves in southwest Florida and two hurricanes (Emily and Dean) on protected mangroves in the Yucatan Peninsula were assessed paired sets of 20m multispectral SPOT and 16-day 500m MODIS images. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) values were calculated to measure mangrove canopy reflectance using three methods of analysis- 1) mangrove NDVI sample point extraction, 2) qualitative assessment of 500m MODIS NDVI and EVI time series, and 3) transects of NDVI differences before and after storm events. Results show each method effectively captures changes in mangrove canopies consistent with storm effects. However, the extent of damage to mangroves in South Florida and Sian Ka'an was highly variable. Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina produced a large drop in NDVI although NDVI values recovered within a year, suggesting remarkable resilience. Hurricane Emily apparently increased mangrove photosynthetic activity owing to the location of landfall relative to the study area, the size of the wind field and the apparent lack of storm surge. Comparison of SPOT NDVI and MODIS NDVI values revealed that the changes pre- and post-storms were consistent at the different scales of observation.