Characterizing Spectral Signatures for Three Selected Emergent Aquatic Macrophytes: A Controlled Experiment

Abstract

Homogenous stands of Typha, Phragmites, and Scirpus, and heterogenous stands of Typha‐Phragmites and Typha‐Scirpus were scanned by means of a hyperspectral field radiometer at four times during the 1998 growing season. The purpose was to characterize the multidate vegetation spectra, to test the statistical significance of differences among species in various spectral regions and at various growth stages, and to determine the growth stage(s) of maximum separability. Spectra did not vary qualitatively but did vary quantitatively. Spectral responses for both individual species and mixed groups were significantly different from one another in both the visible and NIR regions. The results show that the best stage to distinguish species is flowering.