Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in a Deep Lake from Sentinel-2 Data

We mapped the extent of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) of Lake Iseo (Northern
Italy, over the 2015–2017 period based on satellite data (Sentinel 2 A-B) and in-situ measurements;
the objective was to investigate its spatiotemporal variability. We focused on the southern sector of
the lake, the location of the shallowest littorals and the most developed macrophyte communities,
mainly dominated by Vallisneria spiralis and Najas marina. The method made use of both in-situ
measurements and satellite data (22 Sentinel 2 A-B images) that were atmospherically corrected
with 6SV code and processed with the BOMBER (Bio-Optical Model-Based tool for Estimating water
quality and bottom properties from Remote sensing images). This modeling system was used to
estimate the different substrate coverage (bare sediment, dense stands of macrophytes with high
albedo, and sparse stand of macrophytes with low albedo). The presented results substantiate the
existence of striking inter- and intra-annual variations in the spatial-cover patterns of SAV. Intense
uprooting phenomena were also detected, mainly affecting V. spiralis, a species generally considered
a highly plastic pioneer taxon. In this context, remote sensing emerges as a very reliable tool for
mapping SAV with satisfactory accuracy by offering new perspectives for expanding our
comprehension of lacustrine macrophyte dynamics and overcoming some limitations associated
with traditional field surveys.