Term of Award

Summer 2023

Degree Name

Master of Science, Applied Geography

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Geology and Geography

Committee Chair

Christine Hladik

Committee Member 1

Chester Jackson

Committee Member 2

Munshi Rahman

Committee Member 3

John Schalles

Abstract

Globally, tidal marshes cover about 90,800 km. Within the state of Georgia tidal marshes are primarily located behind the barrier islands and total 1,619 km2. The combination of high salinity environments and daily inundation, and being dependent on river output, make these dynamic systems. Tidal marshes provide numerous ecosystem services such as carbon and nitrogen sequestration, flood control, coastal protection, and numerous biogeochemical processes. Due to their unique position, tidal marshes are under threat from sea level rise, drought, coastal development, and large-scale disturbance events. Tidal freshwater marshes are especially susceptible to these threats due to their geographic location and small extent which have been historically understudied. By mapping tidal marshes, species composition is better understood and can be used to scale up ecosystem services, biogeochemical processes, and above ground biomass using remote sensing imagery. This study uses aerial orthoimagery along with a digital elevation model, National Wetland Inventory, and vegetation indices to map salt, brackish, and tidal freshwater marshes along the entire coast of Georgia. Higher spectral and spatial resolution PlanetScope 4- and 8-band satellite imagery was also used to map salt, brackish, and tidal freshwater marshes of the three main watersheds in coastal Georgia which include the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and Satilla Rivers. The aerial orthoimagery classification had an accuracy of 86.3% with salt marshes making up 67.8%, brackish 28.7%, and tidal freshwater 3.5% of the classified image and showed the importance of using a DEM and NWI for tidal marsh mapping. The PlanetScope classifications were comparable to the aerial classification with an accuracy of 86.5% (Ogeechee), 88.1% (Altamaha), and 75.9% (Satilla). Differences between the 4-band and 8-band PlanetScope imagery proved to be minimal. Due to the vulnerability of salt marshes to climate change, this study aims to contribute and expand upon current remote sensing studies on tidal marsh mapping.

OCLC Number

1427385668

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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