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The Sky Above, the Mud BelowContributors: John King and Emily Shumchenia, GSO; Michael Bradley, EDC; Cheryl Hapke, U.S. Geological Service (USGS) Photographic imaging is an effective scientific tool for exploring and characterizing the environment because it provides a lasting record of the plants, animals, and physical conditions that are present. Images can vary in scale depending on how broadly one wants to examine the environment. MapCoast scientists have collected images of coastal areas from aircraft and from cameras lowered from boats. These and other MapCoast techniques are designed to provide a comprehensive characterization of the seafloor so as to promote informed management of Rhode Island’s coastal waters. Aerial photography, where the camera is hundreds of meters above the water surface, can characterize habitats such as seagrass beds, salt marshes, and intertidal flats in shallow water areas. Aerial images cover a large area and can help determine how much of each habitat is present. Aerial images can also help detect changes in area of habitats from year to year. Additionally, they provide a background for making and displaying maps. Underwater photography, where the camera is usually less than a meter from the seafloor, can image living things including clams, worm tubes, snails, shrimp burrows, seagrass, and algae. MapCoast has used several types of underwater imaging. These include still cameras and video cameras that look at the surface of the seafloor, as well as sediment profile (SPI) cameras that see a cross-section or “slice” of the sediment (see page 6). These images can tell us something about the condition of living resources and verify the habitats that are being mapped. Furthermore, images of the same location can tell us how the environment is changing over time. |
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