Ecocene

Thermal imagery can be used to assess vegetation water status and groundwater dependency. Cooler leaves, for example, suggest a more favourable water status, which could be indicative of groundwater dependency. Sources of thermal data include high-resolution imagery from drones and the archive of imagery from Landsat satellites which can be used to calculate land surface temperature (LST). Broad changes in LST can also relate to fluctuations in canopy cover owing to drought, fire or clearing – a reduction in canopy usually results in higher LSTs.

These processes are captured in the LST change image (average change across summer months from 1987 -2021) for Kings Park, located next to the Perth CBD. The area of LST increase at the northern end of the park, for example, was burnt in 2018. The distinct increase in LST at the eastern margin of the park was brought about by removing pine trees and installing roofing over a reservoir.