Assessing coastal wetlands of the Upper St. Lawrence River using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Session: 30. - Ecosystem Impacts of the Lake Ontario-St Lawrence River Flood of 2017

Matthew Windle, St. Lawrence River Inst., [email protected]
Jesse St.John, St. Lawrence River Institute, [email protected]
Jeff Ridal, St. Lawrence River Institute, of Environmental Sciences, [email protected]
Evie Brahmstedt, Clarkson University, [email protected]
Michael Twiss, Clarkson University, Dept. of Biology & Great Rivers Center, [email protected]
F. Lickers, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, [email protected]

Abstract

Coastal wetlands of the Upper St. Lawrence River (USLR) are expected to undergo significant restorative changes as the system returns to more natural water level fluctuations under the IJC Plan 2014.  Here we describe the application of a rapidly advancing technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) photogrammetry, to characterize spatial and vegetative elements of these coastal wetlands.  A multirotor quadcopter (DJI Phantom 4 Pro) was used to collect high resolution, georeferenced orthoimagery of USLR wetlands between Cornwall and Kingston, Ontario, in the fall of 2017.  Survey sites were selected based on biogeophysical attributes and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).  Areal extent, elevation, water-vegetation boundaries, dominant vegetation type, and 3D models were extracted from UAV imagery and compared to validation data collected in the field.  Elevation data were analyzed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to simulate changes in wetland extent under varying water levels.  The results from this study will inform a co-occurring study examining mercury mobilization from coastal wetlands due to water level fluctuations.  Overall we demonstrate how this UAV techonology can be used to monitor changes in Great Lakes wetlands under changing climate and management scenarios.    

1. Keyword
wetlands

2. Keyword
St. Lawrence River

3. Keyword
remote sensing

4. Additional Keyword
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

5. Additional Keyword
Spatial analysis