MIT Sea Grant Seminar: Characterizing a New England Saltmarsh with Terrestrial and Airborne Lidar. Friday, December 2nd from 12-1

MIT Sea Grant SeminarFriday, December 2nd12:00-1:00E38-3rd Floor Conference RoomCharacterizing the Spatial, Temporal, and Structural Dynamism of a New England Saltmarsh with Terrestrial and Airborne LidarCrystal Schaaf and Ian PaynterSchool for the Environment,University of Massachusetts BostonSaltmarshes, which provide essential ecosystem services, including coastal armoring and carbon storage, are facing large scale perturbations due to land cover change and sea level rise. The dynamism and spatial heterogeneity of saltmarshes represent specific challenges for remote-sensing imagers and typical ecosystem monitoring strategies. Through studies of the various ecological components of saltmarshes, including creek geomorphology and vegetation phenology, we investigate a synthesis of remote-sensing resources to mitigate these challenges. Using data from a highly portable terrestrial laser scanner (developed at UMB), coupled with acquisitions from the NASA Goddard Lidar Hyperspectral and Thermal (GLIHT) airborne instrument package, structural information is used to overcome these challenges and appropriately model this important coastal ecosystem. We encourage attendees to bring their lunch to the seminar. The seminar is open to the public. Please pass this announcement along to interested parties. Questions can be sent to dvalicea@mit.edu.