Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2026, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 89-103.doi: 10.11978/2025155CSTR: 32234.14.2025155

• Ocean Remote Sensing • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Laser point cloud inversion of three-dimensional structure and aboveground biomass of mangroves*

XIE Yutong1(), HUANG Youju2, TIAN Yichao1,3,4,5,6(), HAN Guangping3, ZHANG Qiang1, TAO Jin1, DU Jinze1, PENG Zijie1   

  1. 1 College of Marine Sciences/College of Resources and Environment, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
    2 Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Ecosystems and Biological Resources, Fourth Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai 536015, China
    3 Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Remote Sensing Institute of Natural Resources, Nanning 530023, China
    4 Pinglu Canal and Beibu Gulf Coastal Ecosystem Observation and Research Station of Guangxi, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Disaster Processes and Ecological Protection Technology, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
    5 Key Laboratory of Marine Geographic Information Resource Development and Utilization of the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
    6 Beibu Gulf Marine Development Research Center, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
  • Received:2025-09-01 Revised:2025-09-09 Online:2026-07-10 Published:2026-07-31
  • Contact: TIAN Yichao. email:
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(42261024); Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Ecosystems and Biological Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources(2023ZD06); Guangxi Bagui Young Scholar; Guangxi Forestry Science and Technology Promotion Demonstration Project(Guilin scientific research [2022] no. 4); Marine Science Plateau Discipline, Beibu Gulf University(DRB003); Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Guangxi Universities “Beibu Gulf Ocean Development Research Center”(BHZKY2202); Major Projects of Key Research Bases for Humanities and Social Sciences in Guangxi universities(JDZD202214); High-level Talent Introduction Project of Beibu Gulf University(2019KYQD28); Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education(YCSW2025623)

Abstract:

Rapid and accurate acquisition of three-dimensional structural parameters of mangroves is crucial for estimating their aboveground biomass (AGB). Although many studies have combined spectral data to estimate mangrove AGB, research using automatic machine learning (AutoML) for model selection and feature interpretability analysis remains limited. Based on allometric growth equations, this study extracted three-dimensional structural information of mangroves from high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) LiDAR (light detection and ranging) point cloud data and combined it with spectral features from domestic GF-2 satellite imagery. The study area was the mangrove forest at the estuary of the Qinzhou River in Beibu Gulf, Guangxi, China. Three-dimensional structure analysis based on point cloud revealed the canopy morphology characteristics of the mangroves in this area. On this basis, an AGB inversion model for mangroves was constructed using the AutoML FLAML framework. The results showed that the LightGBM (light gradient boosting machine) algorithm model selected by the FLAML framework performed well (training set R2: 0.98, test set R2: 0.85, test set standard deviation: 11.20 t·hm−2). Structural parameters extracted from LiDAR point cloud (e.g., height statistics) and spectral features, such as blue band and the normalized pigment chlorophyll index (NPCI), significantly contributed to AGB inversion. Over the study period, the total mangrove area decreased by approximately 50.59%, and the biomass loss was about 49.6%. It is worth noting that the average biomass density of the mangrove area increased slightly due to the removal of low-lying tidal flats along the coast. This study verified the feasibility and advantages of combining LiDAR point cloud with AutoML for efficiently inverting the three-dimensional structure and biomass of mangroves, providing important data support and methodological references for the assessment of the mangrove ecosystem in the study area.

Key words: mangrove, AGB, LiDAR point cloud, automatic machine learning

CLC Number: 

  • P715