Collecting in situ remote sensing reflectances of submersed macrophytes to build up a spectral library for lake monitoring

To map the aquatic vegetation of Bavarian (Germany) freshwater lakes in a large-scaled and quick way, remote sensing is a helpful tool. For interpretation of the data, a spectral library of different macrophyte and sediment reflectances is under development. Therefore, multi-temporal in situ remote sensing reflectances were sampled from May to October 2011 with hyperspectral RAMSES spectroradiometers. Occurring spectral variations during the growing season could be linked to biometric and phenological data of the particulate species. Principal component analyses showed that, by applying the presented method, differentiation of the macrophytes from sediment and among each other is possible and can be improved by multi-temporal data.