36 dry waste lands and heathlands (brooms and 
heathers) 
37 degraded wooded areas (scattered oaks and birch 
trees on dry heathlands) 
4- Wetlands 
41 wooded vegetation of water banks (poplars, 
alder-trees) 
42 wet waste lands and moors (reeds, mushes) 
43 shrubby vegetation on the pond edges and on 
marshes (willows) 
E water surfaces (rivers, ponds) and associated 
aquatic vegetation 
T peat bogs 
WETLANDS CLASSIFICATION (LANDSAT TM DATA) 
code biophysical class 
1 wooded vegetation of water banks (poplars, al 
der trees, ash trees) 
2 shrubby vegetation of the pond and river banks 
(willows) 
3 floating or immersing herbaceous vegetation of 
water areas (aquatic weeds, water lilies) 
4 pond or reservoir without vegetation in open 
waters 
5 drained pond or in laying out 
6 permanent streams 
CHARACTERISTICS DATA OF WATER AREAS (LANDSAT TM DATA) 
Depth, 8 classes arranged in 3 items 
IA 0-1m/1,2m 
IB 1m/1,2m-2,0m 
IC 2,0m and more 
►Turbidity (and ground kind.), 8 classes arranged in 
4 items 
IIA very limpid pond (sandy ground) 
IIB limpid pond (sandy and muddy ground) 
IIC turbid pond, rich in organic substances (phyto 
plankton) (muddy ground) 
IID turbid pond, rich in mineral substances 
(colloids) (clayish ground) 
►Temperature (outer layer), 8 classes from 17 to 25°C 
arranged in 4 items 
IIIA < 20°C 
IIIB 20-21°C 
IIIC 22-23°C 
HID 24°C and more 
3.2 Statistics on the land cover of Brenne watershed 
area (.see tables 1 and 2) 
The main noted facts ar£ an important increasing du 
ring the 1975/84 period of draining areas or areas in 
changing on one hand, and of small ponds on the other 
hand 
Table 1 : Evolution 1975/84 of the Brenne ponds 
higher than 1 ha 
number 
surface 
(ha) 
average surface 
by pond (ha) 
1975 
957 
8,455 
8.8 
1984 
1 ,014 
9,025 
8.9 
evolution 
1975/84 
+ 57 
+ 570 
+ 0.1 
evolution 
1975/84 in % 
+ 6% 
+ 1% 
+ n 
source : Ministry of Environment 
Table 2 : Land cover of the Brenne watershed 
in 1984 and 1975/84 changes (in ha) 
1984 state 
1975/84 
changes 
code 
surface 
code 
surface 
(ha) 
(ha) 
11 
90 
26/21 
1 ,550 
12 
755 
26/22 
230 
13 
755 
26/24 
180 
14 
125 
22/26 
310 
15 
120 
24/26 
275 
s/total 
( 1,845) 
36/26 
1,550 
21 
19,350 
42/26 
20 
22 
56,990 
E/26 
25 
23 
2,705 
31/34 
60 
24 
10,225 
32/34 
15 
25 
330 
34/35 
5 
26 
2,300 
E/43 
25 
s/total 
(91 ,900) 
s/total 
(4,245) 
31 
20,430 
22/E 
45 
32 
3,395 
24/E 
110 
33 
7,810 
26/E 
5 
34 
200 
33/E 
30 
35 
5 
34/E 
10 
36 
7,120 
36/E 
205 
s/total 
(38,960) 
42/E 
210 
41 
275 
43/E 
5 
42 
5,355 
s/total 
( 620) 
43 
1,095 
E (1) 
10,480 
TOTAL 
4,865 
s/total 
(17,205) 
(?) 
(3,2$) 
TOTAL 
149,910 
(1) including 9,025 ha in ponds 
source : Ministry of Environment 
4. CONCLUSION 
The study on the Brenne and Sologne wetlands has 
shown the high interest of the channels ofLLandsat TM 
data to know at 1/50,000 scale the state of the large 
wetlands land cover with details about the vegetation 
of humid media. It gives the possibility also to dis 
criminate the characteristics of depth, aquatic vege 
tation, turbidity and temperature of water areas. 
The observation of the land cover changes during 
the 1975/84 period in humid media between Landsat TM 
and MSS data was possible and did not present too ma 
ny difficulties. 
Symposi 
The qi 
and M 
S.T.Miller 
University o 
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