Method development for mapping kelp using drones and satellite images: Results from the KELPMAP-Vega project

Prosjektleder Hege GundersenThe KELPMAP study demonstrated that high-resolution multispectral data from drones and satellites, combined with AI-based image analysis, can efficiently map kelp forests and other coastal habitats. The field campaign, conducted in 2022 within Vega and Herøy municipalities, produced orthomosaics with 9 cm GSD for multispectral and 5 cm for RGB images. Based on drone data and AI, between 11% and 65% of the study area was identified as brown algae. Satellites overpredicted kelp forests but aligned with drone data after removing uncertain predictions. In Helgeland’s clear waters, benthic species and habitats were identified down to 10 meters. Using NIVA's statistical model, drones were estimated to map almost 60% of Norwegian kelp forests and 80-90% of total kelp biomass, despite only reaching 10 meters. Upscaling habitat maps using satellite images is possible but limited by satellite resolution. Drone-based training data enhances satellite-derived map accuracy. High-resolution drone maps are ideal for local marine spatial planning, while satellite maps are suitable for national level applications like carbon accounting. More ground truth data are needed for improved species-level mapping and validation of upscaled products. The study also assessed mapping benthic habitats according to NiN 3.0, identifying kelp forests, seaweed beds, eelgrass, and various seabed types.Norwegian Environment AgencypublishedVersio

Accumulative formations of the Baltic Ice Lake in the Vidzeme Coastal Plain, Latvia

Buls T. Baltijas ledus ezera akumulatīvie krasta veidojumi Vidzemes piekrastē. Maģistra darbs. Rīga, Latvijas Universitāte, Ģeogrāfijas un zemes zinātņu fakultāte, 2009. Darbs ietver 98 lappuses, 57 attēlus un 2 tabulas. Maģistra darbā veikts pētījums par Baltijas ledus ezera akumulatīvo veidojumu morfoloģiju, izplatību un iekšējo uzbūvi Vidzemes piekrastē posmā no Skultes līdz Latvijas – Igaunijas robežai. Darbā raksturota akumulatīvo krasta veidojumu uzbūve, kā arī veikta pētīto krasta formu veidošanās interpretācija. Pētījuma ietvaros veikti plaši urbšanas un zondēšanas darbi Baltijas ledus ezera krasta akumulatīvajos veidojumos, apsekoti vairāki atsegumi karjeros un kartētas krasta līniju robežas. Atsevišķos piekrastes posmos noteikts krasta veidojumu granulometriskais sastāvs pilnā Baltijas ledus ezera nogulumu griezumā. Iegūtie rezultāti apstrādāti RockWorks 2006, StereoNet un ArcMap vidē. Atslēgas vārdi: Baltijas ledus ezers, Vidzemes piekraste, krasta akumulatīvie veidojumi, senās krasta līnijas.Buls T. Accumulative formations of the Baltic Ice Lake in the Vidzeme Coastal Plain, Latvia. Master’s thesis. Riga, University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, 2009. 98 pages, 57 figures, 2 tables. This Master’s thesis examines the morphological and geological features of accumulative formations of the Baltic Ice Lake and their distribution in the Vidzeme Coastal Plain between the Skulte village and the Estonian-Latvian border. The very detailed explanation is given about the internal structure and formation of ancient coastal forms for ten study sites. The research was based on data of the extensive test drilling, examination of bedding, mapping of the ancient coastlines and grain size analysis (14 samples). Last one characterises full section of the Baltic Ice Lake sediments in selected places. Field data were further processed using computer software RockWorks2006, StereoNet and ArcMap. Key words: Baltic Ice Lake, Vidzeme Coastal Plain, coastal accumulative formations, ancient shorelines

Wave ripples and their types at eastern coast of the Riga Gulf

Bakalaura darbā ir veikti viļņu ripsnojuma pētījumi Vidzemes akmeņainajā jūrmalā posmā Ķurmrags – Rankuļrags. Darbā ir pētīta ripsnojuma izmēru un formas atkarība no to veidošanās apstākļiem un smilts graudu izmēriem, kā arī ir izdarīts ripsnojuma iedalījums tipos. Darba izstrādes gaitā tika iegūti dati par ripsnojuma izmēriem un vidi, kurā tas veidojas – ūdens dziļumu un attālumu no krasta (60 datu kopas). 35 paraugiem ar detalizēto sietu analīzi tika noteikts granulometriskais sastāvs. Pēc garuma un asimetrijas tika izdalīti 12 ripsnojuma tipi. Pamatojoties uz pāru korelācijas metodi, tika veikta ripsnojuma parametru, sedimentācijas vides parametru un granulometrisko koeficientu korelācija. Pēc lauka pētījumu un korelācijas analīzes rezultātiem tika noskaidrots, ka ripsnojuma izmērus ietekmē granulometriskais sastāvs un ūdens dziļums. Rupjākos nogulumos pastāv tendence veidoties lielākam ripsnojumam, bet smalkākos – mazākam, ka arī seklākā ūdenī – veidoties mazākam ripsnojumam, bet dziļākā – lielākam. Bez tam seklākā ūdenī veidojas lēzenāks, bet dziļākā ūdenī – stāvāks ripsnojums.The paper is focused on study of ripple marks in the nearshore of the Riga gulf eastern part from Ķurmrags till Rankuļrags. This study deals with the influence of sedimentary environment and grain-size of sand on the dimensions and shape of ripples. Besides, the types of ripple marks have been divided. During the research the data on ripple dimensions and environment has been collected – water depth and distance from the shore was measured in 60 cases. Grain-size analysis was carried out on 35 samples. 12 types of ripples were divided basing on their length and asymmetry. In accordance with the pair correlation method, the correlation of the parameters of the ripples, the parameters of sedimentary environment, and grain-size coefficients was carried out. On the bases of field studies and the analysis of correlation, it was concluded that ripple dimensions are influenced by grain size of sand and water depth. There is a tendency for larger ripple marks to form in coarser sediments, while smaller ripples form in finer sediments. Smaller ripple marks tend to form in more shallow water, while larger ones in deeper waters. Moreover, flatter ripples form in shallow waters, while steeper ones in deeper waters

Effects of clay and organic matter on calcareous nannofossil ooze erodibility

Bottom current activity has been responsible for the formation of a multitude of erosional and depositional features recorded in chalk. Advanced knowledge on the mobility and transport of unlithified calcareous nannofossil ooze by bottom currents is increasingly important not only for understanding the deposition of ancient chalk, but also for modelling the behaviour of modern pelagic carbonate sediments. Whereas the erosional behaviour of very pure calcareous nannofossil ooze has recently been investigated, the effect of organic matter (OM) and clay minerals on the erosional behaviour of calcareous nannofossil ooze is as yet unquantified. The results of the present study are based on laboratory flume studies utilizing chalk ooze with varying concentrations of smectite clay (1– 30 wt %), two types of OM, and bed porosity. Phytoplankton (Pavlova lutheri) was used as a proxy for particulate marine organic matter (MOM), and xanthan gum as a proxy for extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The results show a significant decrease in nannofossil ooze mobility with increasing content of clay or MOM. Organic matter is found to reduce erodibility at much lower concentrations than clay minerals at porosities equivalent to those of the sea floor. At lower porosities, corresponding to some depth below the sea floor, organic matter and clay minerals are less effective in bed stabilisation. This suggests that clay minerals and especially organic matter will affect the likelihood of initiation of severe erosion on the sea floor, whereas their inhibiting effect will decrease as erosion scours progressively deeper into the sediment column. The effect of EPS is more complex than MOM, probably due to detachment of large aggregates from the bed and resulting increase in bed roughness. The choice of organic matter in sedimentological experiments may lead to significant differences in sediment behaviour and should therefore involve careful consideration

Physical behaviour of Cretaceous calcareous nannofossil ooze:Insight from flume studies of disaggregated chalk

Geomorphic features such as drifts, sediment waves and channels have been documented in the Upper Cretaceous of north-west Europe. These features are interpreted to result from bottom currents and have been used to refine chalk depositional models and quantify palaeocirculation patterns. Chalk was first deposited as calcareous nannofossil ooze and geomorphic features are the result of sediment reworking after deposition. There is limited knowledge on the processes that govern nannofossil ooze mobility, thus forcing uncertainty onto numerical models based on sedimentological observations. This article provides an extensive view of the erosional and depositional behaviour of calcareous nannofossil ooze based on experimental work using annular flumes. A fundamental observation of this study is the significant decrease of nannofossil ooze mobility with decreasing bed porosity. Erosion characteristics, labelled as erosion types, vary with total bed porosity (?) and applied shear stress (?0). High-porosity ooze (? >80%) is characterized by constant erosion rates (Em). At ? <77%, however, erosion characteristics showed greater variance. Surface erosion was typically followed by transitional erosion (with asymptotically decreasing Em), and stages of erosion with constant, and exponential erosion rates. The estimated erosion thresholds (?c) vary from ca 0·05 to 0·08 Pa for the onset of surface erosion and up to ca 0·19 Pa for the onset of constant erosion (? of 60 to 85%). Variability of deposition thresholds (?cd) from ca 0·04 to 0·13 Pa reflects the influence of variable suspended sediment concentration and ?0 on settling particle size due to the identified potential for chalk ooze aggregation and flocculation. Additionally, deposition thresholds seem to be affected by the size of eroded aggregates whose size correlates with bed porosity. Lastly, slow sediment transport without resuspension occurred in high-porosity ooze as surface creep, forming low-relief sedimentary features resembling ripples. This process represents a previously undescribed mode of fine-grained nannofossil ooze transport

Enhanced micro-droplet splitting, concentration, sensing and ejection by integrating ElectroWetting-On-Dielectrics and Surface Acoustic Wave technologies

This paper demonstrates several enhanced microfluidic functions achieved by integrating two different micro droplet actuation systems (Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW) and ElectroWetting-On-Dielectric (EWOD)). The paper reports how SAW can be employed to help EWOD create and split droplets by augmenting the EWOD force to complete the operation. It also demonstrates how EWOD can be used to guide and precisely position microdroplets for further efficient SAW actuated movement (pumping), concentration and ejection of droplets. The paper also highlights how this combination can also be employed to position droplets for shear wave SAW sensing

KELPMAP-Vega: Metodeutvikling for kartlegging av tareskog ved bruk av droner og satellittbilder (feltrapport)

Prosjektleder Hege GundersenRapporten er en del-leveranse i prosjektet "Metodeutvikling for kartlegging av tare ved bruk av droner og satellittbilder" og beskriver metoder for innsamling av høyoppløselige bilder ved hjelp av droner og generering av sammenhengende georefererte ortofoto, samt innhenting av bakkesannheter og sammenstilling av disse. Feltarbeidet er utført i Vega og Herøy kommuner på Helgelandskysten i Nordland fylke. Kriterier for hva som karakteriserer gode forhold for innsamling av data med droner er beskrevet, og inkluderer i hovedsak lysforhold, vannstand, vind, og skydekke. Utstyr for innhenting av bakkesannheter og droneflyging er også gitt. Det konkluderes at nøye feltplanlegging og egnede værforhold er avgjørende for suksessfull gjennomføring av et slikt feltarbeid. En retrospektiv analyse av værforholdene for droneflyving på Vega i august 2022 er inkludert. Endelig rapport for prosjektet er planlagt ferdigstilt november 2023.MiljødirektoratetpublishedVersio