The use of aerial photography in GIS mapping of seagrass meadows

Abstract The knowledge and study of the ecology of seagrasse's meadows, cannot excluding to consider the information of their spatial and geographic distribution (Green E.P. and Short F.T., 2003; F.T. Short and R.G. Coles, 2001). Mapping of marine biotic communities are performed using direct and indirect methods (Kenny et. al., 2003; C. Pergent-Martini, 2005). The most used methods (among the different methods of inquiry), is the aerial photography (Steffensen, and McGregor, 1975). Conducted for almost 100 years (Malin and Light, 2007), modern aerophotogrammetric survey are carried out using properly vertical cameras designed using specific films. The geographic information system is (GIS) able to relate the ecological data of seagrass with other data that may be present on the GIS such as bathymetry, density and type of vegetation, type of bottom, etc. (Pasqualini, 2001). In this scenario, the availability of modern remote sensors (indirect method) are useful to mapping and studying coastal marine environments with an higher accuracy degree (sub meter) than aerial photos. In contrast aerial photos represents essential historical areas to study the temporal variation of seagrassess meadow in the first meters of water in many coastal areas of the globe. © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.