Abstract
The paper describes the first approach to wetlands mapping in headwater areas at the continental scale. Given the size of the minimum mapping unit it is evident that a class like wetlands is underestimated in the final assessment, as it is often characterized by objects smaller than 25 ha. It is known that this is a drawback affecting in particular the “water” classes of the CORINE classification. The following assessment has been carried out on the area covered by CORINE data, covering the EU15 Countries (excluding Sweden) plus Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, for a total of 4,650,000 ha. Using a 250-meter resolution DEM, only headwater areas larger than 1 km2 are reported in the presented map of headwaters in south-western Europe. The process of mapping can be further developed by deeper characterising the identified areas, for example by assigning them to corresponding drainage basins, altitudinal areas, landscape or administrative units. The results are based on the data available. Updating and improvement will be possible in the short term with the delivery of the new CORINE 2000 system (based on satellite images acquired between 1999 and 2001) and using more detailed Digital Elevation Models (e.g. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission).
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Paracchini, M.L., Vogt, J.V. (2006). Mapping Wetlands in European Headwater Areas. In: Krecek, J., Haigh, M. (eds) Environmental Role of Wetlands in Headwaters. NATO Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 63. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4228-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4228-0_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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