Accessible Methodology for Monitoring Estuarine and Coastal Vegetation Cover, 2000

This project was funded by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), a cooperative effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of New Hampshire. The purpose of this project is to develop a method to map the extent of the intertidal habitats of Padilla Bay and monitor change in the spatial extent of the habitats over an 11-year period.

Click here to view the Coastlines article about this project titled "Mapping Vegetation On a Budget -- Padilla Bay Leads the Way"

Click here to download the methods report from this project. (PDF 4.4 MB)

Monitoring the Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Padilla Bay, NERR--SWMP Biomonitoring Pilot Site, 2004

The distribution and extent of submerged and emergent estuarine vegetation in Padilla Bay were mapped using on-screen delineation and photo interpretation of true-color orthophotography guided by ground reference data. Polygons representing the vegetated and non-vegetated areas were delineated and attributed in an ArcGIS 9.0 Personal Geodatabase (ESRI) schema.

This report describes the methods used in: image acquisition, image processing, classification schema and geodatabase construction, ground reference data collection, on-screen delineation, quality assurance/quality control checking, and change detection between 2000 and 2004.

Click here to download the Final Report (PDF, 2.4 MB)