Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-97-2019 (submitted: 05/03/2019, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Drone observations of high marsh transitions
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Merryl Alber | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Georgia | ||
| Award Information: | (not specified) | ||
| Mailing Address: | Dept. of Marine Sciences | Phone Number: | (706) 542-5966 |
| University of Georgia | E-mail Address: | malber@uga.edu | |
| Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 | |||
| Co-investigators: | Steven C. Pennings (University of Houston) | ||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
We are interested in characterizing the transitions among plant communities that grow at the upland edge of salt marshes and how they shift over time. We propose to conduct annual drone surveys of three marsh sites located adjacent to Sapelo Island in order to delineate borders between Juncus romerianus, meadow vegetation, salt pans and Spartina alterniflora. Each of the three marsh sites is approximately 5 ha. The drone will be operated from the upland, but each area will have approximately 15 ground control points (GCPs) set out in the marsh that can be used to register images. The drone will be flown annually during the summer, from 2019 through 2024.
Where will the project be located?
The three sites will be located at Marsh Landing, Shell Hammock, and the site of the GCE upland experiment (see attached kmz file for proposed locations).
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
I will provide a GIS file describing my study sites (ArcGIS shapefile, Google Earth KML/KMZ)
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 06/01/2019 End Date: 06/30/2024
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
2-3 people for 1 day for initial GCP set-up (summer 2019); 1 person for 1 day a year thereafter.
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
Ground Control Points will consist of 1" diameter PVC poles approximately 4 feet in height with flat surfaces mounted on them that will be visible in the image (black and white quadrats that measure about 1 square foot). GCPs will be in place for the duration of the project. An RTK-GPS will also be used to sample location and elevation of a subset of identified disturbances. No other equipment will be deployed as part of this project.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
No - not for the drone observations.
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
There will likely be foot trails from the initial set-up of GCPs, which will mostly be located on the outside edges of the polygon. Once they are in place they will only be visited for maintenance (annually).
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
No. The impact of installing boardwalks would exceed that of placing GCPs.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
Trails from installing GCPs will likely recover within a growing season.
Research Permits:
Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division: GCE-97-2019_Permit_RLS20190027_Merryl_HighMarsh (06/01/2019-06/30/2024)
Files attached to this application
GCE-97-2019_Maps_High_marsh_remote_sensing_locations_2019_5.pdf (PDF file, 635.36 kb, submitted 05/03/2019)
