Understanding the dynamic of a tropical forest located in Southern Mexico using remotely sensed data

Forested areas have been the ecosystem more impacted by anthropogenic activities as agriculture, livestock, etc. Particularly, tropical forests host a large diversity of flora and fauna. Southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize own the second larger area worldwide of tropical forests after the Amazonas. Despite the importance of this ecosystem, there is still a lack of information, and then, an understanding of the local dynamics. This paper aims at reporting on two field campaigns conducted at Calakmul, Southern, Mexico, to characterize soil and vegetation during rainy and dry seasons. Simultaneously to the field campaigns, Radarsat-2 images were acquired. Significant changes are observed between the rainy and dry seasons; primarily, because of the loss of water content during the dry season for both soil and vegetation.