CHARACTERIZATION OF ALPINE VEGETATION COVER USING SATELLITE REMOTE-SENSING IN THE FRONT RANGES, ST ELIAS MOUNTAINS, YUKON-TERRITORY

Two satellite images were acquired from the SPOT High Resolution Visible (HRV) Multispectral Linear Array (MLA) sensor in 1990 and the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor in 1985 for a mountainous region in southwest Yukon Territory, Canada. These data were classified using a maximum likelihood decision rule and a new three-stage classifier designed specifically for analysis of mountain environments. Classification results improved from approximately 74% correct when using satellite sensor data alone to 85% correct using the satellite sensor data with geomorphometric variables extracted from a digital elevation model. Further refinement to approximately 88% correct were obtained with the new classifier. The resulting image maps were used to interpret the extent of changes in vegetation cover resulting from fluctuations in river systems and ground-water regimes.