Paper Info
Title
Reconstruction of the Water Cultivation Paleoenvironment Dating Back to the Han and Tang Dynasties Surrounding the Yangguan Frontier Pass Using X- and L-Band SAR Data.
Abstract
Supported by a shallow groundwater wetland ecosystem, the Nanhu oasis, which is the location of the Yangguan frontier pass, represents an important supply and defence station for the ancient Silk Road. The reconstruction of the evolution of the water cultivation environment is helpful for archaeological surveys and the protection of this well-known heritage site. This study proposes a workflow for reconstructing the water cultivation paleoenvironment-based primarily on X- and L-band spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. First, TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (TSX/TDX)-generated Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were used for microrelief analyses, including a watershed analysis and drainage network extraction. Several dried-up paleochannels and the range of the Daze (a wetland dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.)) were identified. Second, based on the hydrological sensitivity analysis of the multi-temporal L-band SAR data, arid land vegetation accompanying the emergence of groundwater was extracted to locate ancient arable areas using backscattering and coherence characteristics. Finally, reconstruction of the water cultivation paleoenvironment surrounding the Nanhu oasis dating back to the Han and Tang dynasties (202 B.C.-907 A.D.) was performed, referring to historical documents. New discoveries were validated by field campaigns, and the results of the SAR archaeological investigations conducted in this study indicated that the ancient arable area in the Nanhu oasis was nearly double the current dimensions.
Year
DOI
Venue
2018
10.3390/rs10101536
REMOTE SENSING
Keywords
Field
DocType
spaceborne SAR,Nanhu oasis,Yangguan frontier pass,water cultivation paleoenvironment,Han and Tang dynasties
L band,Remote sensing,Geology,Frontier
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
10
10
2072-4292
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
3
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Xiaokun Zhu102.03
Fulong Chen2126.51
Huadong Guo345984.66