GCE III - Key Finding in 2013

Mapping geomorphology, plants, and animals with remote sensing

J. Schalles took the lead on an article in Oceanography that detailed how a combination of advanced remote-sensing approaches (hyperspectral imagery and lidar) and conventional field survey methods can produce detailed quantifications and maps of marsh platform geomorphology, vegetation composition and biomass, and invertebrate patterns (Fig. 1). They found that community structure was largely related to hydrology, elevation, and soil properties. Both abiotic drivers and community patterns varied among subwatersheds and across the landscape at larger spatial scales.




Fig. 1 Density estimates (number of individuals per square meter) of three representative invertebrate taxa (Geukensia demissa, Melamups bidentatus, and Littoraria irrorata within the Duplin River watershed. From Schalles et al. (2013).