| Abstract: |
The National Park Service in cooperation with the Army Corp of Engineers has begun rebuilding the marshes of Jamaica Bay, New York. Since the 1970’s the marshes have begun eroding away at a horrific rate that threatens the whole estuarine ecosystem. The Army Corp of Engineers has begun a pilot project on Elder’s Point to bring in dredge spoil to raise the elevation of the marshes back to a healthy level. The Environmental Data Center has been tasked by the National Park Service to use Light Detection and Ranging data (LiDAR) and Quickbird imagery to monitor the progress of the restoration of the marshes. The first step is to establish a methodology for mapping the marshes using pre-construction geospatial data. Once the methodology is established, post construction data will be collected every few years to observe the restoration process. This project will also evaluate the use of other data such as measurements of wave action and bathymetry to determine the ideal marsh height for future restoration projects in Jamaica Bay. This presentation will provide a status report of our work to date on the use of LiDAR and satellite data as a tool for estuarine monitoring. |