The reproducibility of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for monitoring submerged seagrass in a temperate region
Increasingly more studies are using remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS; also known as drones) to map seagrass at the meadow scale. By enabling frequent collection of high-resolution imagery, RPAS surveys present a promising solution for monitoring seagrass meadows over time.
However, the reproducibility of RPAS surveys is challenged by changing environmental conditions, which are common in temperate regions.
This study evaluates the seasonal reproducibility of monitoring three seagrass meadows in temperate Newfoundland, Canada using an RPAS equipped with a three-colour band (red, green, blue; [RGB]) camera.
Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.
We compare estimates of seagrass cover from our RPAS imagery to snorkel transect surveys.
Our results show that environmental variability and similar colours between seagrass and other surrounding habitats renders classifying RPAS-derived imagery of seagrass inconsistent.
This could not be improved by collecting imagery from lower altitudes. Instead, surveying seagrass from higher altitudes may be worth the trade-off of lower imagery resolution to avoid environmental conditions changing mid-survey, increasing the likelihood of reproducing comparable imagery.
We conclude that RPAS surveys using an RGB camera alone may be insufficient to identify seasonal changes in seagrass growth.
Read the paper — The reproducibility of remotely piloted aircraft systems to monitor seasonal variation in submerged seagrass and estuarine habitats by T.S. Prystay, G. Adams, B. Favaro, R.S. Gregory, and A. Le Bris.
