Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets

Abstract Understanding the land cover is crucial to comprehending the functioning of the Earth’s system. The land cover of Siberia is characterized by uncertainty because it is wide-ranging and comprises various classification types. However, comparisons among land cover products reveal substantial...

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Main Authors: Munseon Beak, Kazuhito Ichii, Yuhei Yamamoto, Ruci Wang, Beichen Zhang, Ram C. Sharma, Tetsuya Hiyama
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-01-01
Series:Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-024-00672-5
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author Munseon Beak
Kazuhito Ichii
Yuhei Yamamoto
Ruci Wang
Beichen Zhang
Ram C. Sharma
Tetsuya Hiyama
author_facet Munseon Beak
Kazuhito Ichii
Yuhei Yamamoto
Ruci Wang
Beichen Zhang
Ram C. Sharma
Tetsuya Hiyama
author_sort Munseon Beak
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Understanding the land cover is crucial to comprehending the functioning of the Earth’s system. The land cover of Siberia is characterized by uncertainty because it is wide-ranging and comprises various classification types. However, comparisons among land cover products reveal substantial discrepancies and uncertainties. Therefore, a reliable land cover product for Siberia is necessary. In this study, we generated new land cover data for Siberia using random forest (RF) classifiers with global land cover datasets. To assess their accuracy and characteristics, we individually validated global land cover products in Siberia using multi-source sample datasets. We trained the RF classifiers with multiple land cover products to produce a more precise land cover product for Siberia. The validations showed that: (a) the generated new land cover data achieved the highest overall accuracy (85.04%) and kappa coefficient (82.62%); (b) the classifications of mixed forest (user accuracy: 97.85%) and grasses (user accuracy: 94.85%) demonstrated improvements, showing higher performance compared to most other types; and (c) by comparing the distribution of land cover across climate zones, we discovered that temperature is a critical factor throughout Siberia. However, in warm summer climates, precipitation plays a critical role in vegetation distribution. The more accurate and detailed land cover created in this study enhances the reliability of analyses in Siberia and fosters a deeper understanding of the impact of the carbon cycle.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2197-4284
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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series Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
spelling doaj-art-d1edc7f1bac64ff9a468c86750f3f9132025-01-12T12:44:22ZengSpringerOpenProgress in Earth and Planetary Science2197-42842025-01-0112111510.1186/s40645-024-00672-5Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasetsMunseon Beak0Kazuhito Ichii1Yuhei Yamamoto2Ruci Wang3Beichen Zhang4Ram C. Sharma5Tetsuya Hiyama6Center for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityCenter for Environmental Remote Sensing (CEReS), Chiba UniversityInstitute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya UniversityAbstract Understanding the land cover is crucial to comprehending the functioning of the Earth’s system. The land cover of Siberia is characterized by uncertainty because it is wide-ranging and comprises various classification types. However, comparisons among land cover products reveal substantial discrepancies and uncertainties. Therefore, a reliable land cover product for Siberia is necessary. In this study, we generated new land cover data for Siberia using random forest (RF) classifiers with global land cover datasets. To assess their accuracy and characteristics, we individually validated global land cover products in Siberia using multi-source sample datasets. We trained the RF classifiers with multiple land cover products to produce a more precise land cover product for Siberia. The validations showed that: (a) the generated new land cover data achieved the highest overall accuracy (85.04%) and kappa coefficient (82.62%); (b) the classifications of mixed forest (user accuracy: 97.85%) and grasses (user accuracy: 94.85%) demonstrated improvements, showing higher performance compared to most other types; and (c) by comparing the distribution of land cover across climate zones, we discovered that temperature is a critical factor throughout Siberia. However, in warm summer climates, precipitation plays a critical role in vegetation distribution. The more accurate and detailed land cover created in this study enhances the reliability of analyses in Siberia and fosters a deeper understanding of the impact of the carbon cycle.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-024-00672-5Land coverGlobal land coverSiberiaRandom forest classifiersCross-validation
spellingShingle Munseon Beak
Kazuhito Ichii
Yuhei Yamamoto
Ruci Wang
Beichen Zhang
Ram C. Sharma
Tetsuya Hiyama
Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
Land cover
Global land cover
Siberia
Random forest classifiers
Cross-validation
title Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
title_full Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
title_fullStr Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
title_full_unstemmed Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
title_short Land cover classification for Siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
title_sort land cover classification for siberia leveraging diverse global land cover datasets
topic Land cover
Global land cover
Siberia
Random forest classifiers
Cross-validation
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-024-00672-5
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AT ruciwang landcoverclassificationforsiberialeveragingdiversegloballandcoverdatasets
AT beichenzhang landcoverclassificationforsiberialeveragingdiversegloballandcoverdatasets
AT ramcsharma landcoverclassificationforsiberialeveragingdiversegloballandcoverdatasets
AT tetsuyahiyama landcoverclassificationforsiberialeveragingdiversegloballandcoverdatasets