2. METHODS
2.1 Acquisition of hyperspectral data
2.1.1 Mangrove leaf preparation Mangrove leaves of 16 Thai tropical mangrove species
were collected using a line-transect method from mangrove trees (higher than 2.5 m) in the
natural mangrove forest of Ao Sawi (Sawi Bay), Chumporn province, in the south of Thailand
(10º 15’N, 99º 7’E). There were ten transects randomly placed throughout the area so as to
collect tree samples from every mangrove zones (e.g. pioneer, intermediate, and upper zones).
The leaves were picked off the trees just before spectral measurement in order to preserve the
original leaf quality. Specifically, on 6 February 2001 a few major branches of every randomly