Hiles et al. (2024): UAV approaches for improved mapping of vegetation cover and estimation of carbon storage of small saltmarshes: examples from Loch Fleet, northeast Scotland
William Hiles, Lucy C. Miller, Craig Smeaton, and William E. N. Austin IN: Biogeosciences, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-929-2024
Saltmarsh environments are recognised as key components of many biophysical and biochemical processes at the local and global scale. Accurately mapping these environments, and understanding how they are changing over time, is crucial for better understanding these systems. However, traditional surveying techniques are time-consuming and are inadequate for understanding how these dynamic systems may be changing temporally and spatially. The development of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) technology presents an opportunity for efficiently mapping saltmarsh extent. Here the authors develop a methodology which combines field vegetation surveys with multispectral UAV data collected at two scales to estimate saltmarsh area and organic carbon storage at three saltmarshes in Loch Fleet (Scotland).