Benthic Habitats and the Effects of Fishing

Symposium Abstract: Mapping Seagrass Boundaries with Waveform-Resolving Lidar: A Preliminary Assessment

T. D. Clayton, J. C. Brock, and C. W. Wright

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781888569605.ch21

For ecologists and managers of seagrass systems, the spatial context provided by remote sensing has proven to be an important complement to in situ assessments and measurements. The spatial extent of seagrass beds has been mapped most commonly with conventional aerial photography. Additional remote mapping and monitoring tools applied to seagrass studies include optical satellite sensors, airborne multispectral scanners, underwater video cameras, and towed sonar systems. An additional tool that shows much promise is airborne, waveform-resolving lidar (light detection and ranging). Now used routinely for high-resolution bathymetric and topographic surveys, lidar systems operate by emitting a laser pulse, then measuring its two-way travel time from the plane to reflecting surface(s) below, then back to the detector co-located with the laser transmitter. Using a novel, waveformresolving lidar system developed at NASA — the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) — we are investigating the possibility of using the additional information contained in the returned laser pulse (waveform) for the purposes of benthic habitat mapping. Preliminary analyses indicate that seagrass beds can potentially be delineated on the basis of apparent bathymetry, returned waveform shape and amplitude, and (horizontal) spatial texture. A complete set of georectified digital camera imagery is also collected during each EAARL overflight and can aid in mapping efforts. Illustrative examples are shown from seagrass beds in the turbid waters of Tampa Bay and the relatively clear waters of the Florida Keys.