High and medium resolution satellite imagery to evaluate late holocene human–environment interactions in aird lands: a case study from the Central Sahara

Biagetti, Stefano; Merlo, Stefania; Adam, Elhadi; Lobo, Agustin; Conesa, Francesc C.; Knight, Jasper; Bekrani, Hayette; Crema, Enrico R.; Alcaina-Mateos, Jonas; Madella, Marco

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs9040351

High and medium resolution satellite imagery to evaluate late holocene human–environment interactions in aird lands: a case study from the Central Sahara

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Biagetti S, Merlo S, Adam E, Lobo A, Conesa FC, Knight J et al. High and medium resolution satellite imagery to evaluate late holocene human–environment interactions in aird lands: a case study from the Central Sahara. Remote Sens. 2017 Apr 6;9(4):351. DOI: 10.3390/rs9040351

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.