Waterhole detection using a vegetation index in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) habitat.

ABSTRACT: In arid ecosystems, desert bighorn sheep are dependent on natural waterholes, particularly in summer when forage is scarce and environmental temperatures are high. To detect waterholes in Sierra Santa Isabel, which is the largest area of desert bighorn sheep habitat in the state of Baja California, Mexico, we used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) from Sentinel-2 satellite images. Waterhole detection was based on the premise that sites with greater water availability, where NDVI was higher, can be identified by their density of vegetation greenness. For the detected waterholes, we estimated the escape terrain (presence of cliffs or steep, rocky slopes) around each by the vector ruggedness measure to determine their potential use

SUBMITTER: Escobar-Flores JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6342311 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature