Hydroperiod maps of Donana for 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and their accompanying INSPIRE metadata XML files

The annual hydroperiod of wetlands, which is affected by global trends and human activities, is a critical ecological parameter that shapes aquatic plants’ and animals’ distribution and determines available habitat for many of the living organisms. Thus, its estimation is useful for the sustainable management of wetlands.

The hydroperiod maps for Donana are named: "Donana_Hydroperiod_from_1st_Sept_2015_to_31st_Aug_2016_using_Sentinel_2_and_Landsat_inundation_maps.tif" and "Donana_Hydroperiod_from_1st_Sept_2016_to_31st_Aug_2017_using_Sentinel_2_inundation_maps.tif". Their pixel values range from 0 to 365 (or 366 for leap years) and denote the number of days a pixel is inundated within a year. They were generated by interpolating satellite-derived inundation maps falling within the period indicated in their filenames.

The interpolation approach is the following: For two dates separated by n days, the occurrence of water is compared. If a pixel is inundated on both dates, then it is assumed inundated for n-days. If a pixel is not inundated on both dates, then it is assumed inundated for n/2 days. In the hydroperiod map, the total number of inundation days per pixel is determined by accumulating the inundated days throughout the desired time period.