High and medium resolution satellite imagery to evaluate late holocene human-environment interactions in arid lands: A case study from the Central Sahara.
Date
2017-04
Authors
Biagetti, S.
Merlo, S.
Adam, E.
Lobo, A.
Conesa, F.C.
Knight, J.
Bekrani, H.
Crema, E.R.
Alcaina-Mateos, J.
Madella, M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
We present preliminary results of an Earth observation approach for the study of past human occupation and landscape reconstruction in the Central Sahara. This region includes a variety of geomorphological features such as palaeo-oases, dried river beds, alluvial fans and upland plateaux whose geomorphological characteristics, in combination with climate changes, have influenced patterns of human dispersal and sociocultural activities during the late Holocene. In this paper, we discuss the use of medium- and high-resolution remotely sensed data for the mapping of anthropogenic features and paleo- and contemporary hydrology and vegetation. In the absence of field inspection in this inaccessible region, we use different remote sensing methods to first identify and classify archaeological features, and then explore the geomorphological factors that might have influenced their spatial distribution.
Description
Keywords
Sahara, Late Holocene, Earth Observation, GIS, High-resolution imagery, Climate change, Geographic information systems, Observatories, Remote sensing, Archaeological features, Landscape reconstruction, Remotely sensed data
Citation
Biagetti, S. et al. 2017. High and medium resolution satellite imagery to evaluate late holocene human-environment interactions in arid lands: A case study from the Central Sahara. Remote Sensing 9, (4), 1 April 2017, Article number 351.