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Integration of TerraSAR-X, RapidEye and airborne lidar for remote sensing of intertidal bedforms on the upper flats of Norderney (German Wadden Sea)

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Abstract

The Wadden Sea is a large coastal transition area adjoining the southern North Sea uniting ecological key functions with an important role in coastal protection. The region is strictly protected by EU directives and national law and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, requiring frequent quality assessments and regular monitoring. In 2014 an intertidal bedform area characterised by alternating crests and water-covered troughs on the tidal flats of the island of Norderney (German Wadden Sea sector) was chosen to test different remote sensing methods for habitat mapping: airborne lidar, satellite-based radar (TerraSAR-X) and electro-optical sensors (RapidEye). The results revealed that, although sensitive to different surface qualities, all sensors were able to image the bedforms. A digital terrain model generated from the lidar data shows crests and slopes of the bedforms with high geometric accuracy in the centimetre range, but high costs limit the operation area. TerraSAR-X data enabled identifying the positions of the bedforms reflecting the residual water in the troughs also with a high resolution of up to 1.1 m, but with larger footprints and much higher temporal availability. RapidEye data are sensitive to differences in sediment moisture employed to identify crest areas, slopes and troughs, with high spatial coverage but the lowest resolution (6.5 m). Monitoring concepts may differ in their remote sensing requirements regarding areal coverage, spatial and temporal resolution, sensitivity and geometric accuracy. Also financial budgets limit the selection of sensors. Thus, combining differing assets into an integrated concept of remote sensing contributes to solving these issues.

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Acknowledgements

This study forms part of the interdisciplinary research project “Wissenschaftliche Monitoringkonzepte für die Deutsche Bucht – WIMO” (“Scientific Monitoring Concepts for the German Bight”), jointly funded by the Ministry for Environment, Energy and Climate Protection and the Ministry for Science and Culture of the Federal State of Lower Saxony. The authors thank the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) for delivering an extensive set of TerraSAR-X images relating to Proposal ID COA1075 and the Lower Saxony State Department for Waterway, Coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) for providing lidar data. Also acknowledged are constructive assessments by V.B. Ernstsen and an anonymous reviewer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Park Authority “Lower Saxony Wadden Sea” (NLPV), Virchowstr. 1, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Winny Adolph & Hubert Farke

  2. Institute for Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing (IGF), University of Osnabrück, Wachsbleiche 27, 49090, Osnabrück, Germany

    Winny Adolph, Richard Jung & Manfred Ehlers

  3. Institute of Photogrammetry and GeoInformation (IPI), Leibniz University Hannover, Nienburger Str. 1, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Alena Schmidt & Christian Heipke

  4. Senckenberg am Meer, Marine Research Department, Südstrand 40, 26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Alexander Bartholomä

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  1. Winny Adolph
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Correspondence to Winny Adolph.

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Adolph, W., Jung, R., Schmidt, A. et al. Integration of TerraSAR-X, RapidEye and airborne lidar for remote sensing of intertidal bedforms on the upper flats of Norderney (German Wadden Sea). Geo-Mar Lett 37, 193–205 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-016-0485-z

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