High resolution multispectral satellite data for mapping benthic cover in turbid coastal waters

摘要

The usefulness of high resolution satellite data for classification of shallow sea beds has been evaluated. The goal was to identify vegetation coverd areas and different species of bentich vegetation in the Granso-Singo archipelago. The results indicate that it could be possible to separate vegetation covered from unvegetated areas down to the maximum visible depth. The results also indicated that classification of specific species can be done in very shallow waters and/or if abundant in clean populations and in combination with field data collected as close as possible, both spatially and temporally. Even if the discrimination level is limited, the results are considered to be valuable by the end-users and the methodology could serve as an important/cost effective contribution in the ongoing environmental work along the coast of Sweden.