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Adaptation of a canopy reflectance model for sub-aqueous vegetation: Definition and sensitivity analysis

Conference ·
OSTI ID:478128
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. NERC/RSADU, Cambridgeshire (United Kingdom)
  2. Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)
  3. Univ. of Sheffield (United Kingdom)

Seagrass meadows are a key component of shallow coastal environments acting as a food resource, nursery and contributing to water oxygenation. Given the importance of these meadows and their susceptibility to anthropogenic disturbance, it is vital that the extent and growth of seagrass is monitored. Remote sensing techniques offer the potential to determine biophysical characteristics of seagrass. This paper presents observations on the development and testing of an invertible model of seagrass canopy reflectance. The model is an adaptation of a land surface reflectance model to incorporate the effects of attenuation and scattering of incoming radiative flux in water. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the subsurface reflectance is strongly dependent on the water depth, vegetation amount, the parameter which we wish to determine, and turbidity respectively. By contrast the chlorophyll concentration of water and gelbstoff are relatively unimportant. Water depth and turbidity need to be known or accommodated in any inversion as free parameters.

OSTI ID:
478128
Report Number(s):
CONF-970319--; CNN: Grant GR9/02233
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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