Submerged vegetation and bathymetry mapping using EnMAP image of the Gulf of Oristano (Italy)

Kurzfassung

Shallow water hosts some of the most important and productive ecosystems on the planet. Seagrasses typically grow on safe, gently sloping beaches in brackish and salty waters. Remote sensing has been used to map some of the dense underwater meadows that seagrasses can form. Most seagrass conservation initiatives focus on maintaining the biodiversity of the environment. The study of seagrass cover and its evolution over time can help control and manage the spread of seagrass. For the management of these ecosystems, satellite-derived products of substrate and plant cover at different spatio-temporal resolutions provide crucial information. This study has the main objective of testing and applying algorithms to obtain bottom substrate, canopy cover, bathymetry mapping from ENMAP hyperspectral satellite data. The study is part of the PRISMA SCIENZA OVERSEE project funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and focuses on the coastal areas of the Gulf of Oristano, and to the habitat colonised by Posidonia oceanica (Sardinia, Italy).