1. Mapping water content in drying Antarctic moss communities using UAS‐borne SWIR imaging spectroscopy
- Author
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Darren Turner, Emiliano Cimoli, Arko Lucieer, Ryan S. Haynes, Krystal Randall, Melinda J. Waterman, Vanessa Lucieer, and Sharon A. Robinson
- Subjects
Drones ,hyperspectral ,polar ,remote sensing ,UAS ,vegetation ,Technology ,Ecology ,QH540-549.5 - Abstract
Abstract Antarctic moss beds are sensitive to climatic conditions, and both their survival and community composition are particularly influenced by the availability of liquid water over summer. As Antarctic regions increasingly face climate pressures (e.g., changing hydrology and heat waves), advancing capabilities to efficiently and non‐destructively monitor water content in moss communities becomes a key research priority. Because of the complexity induced by multiple micro‐climatic drivers and its fragility, tracking the evolution and responses of moss bed moisture requires monitoring methods that are non‐intrusive, efficient, and spatially significant, such as the use of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS). In this study, we combine a multi‐species drying laboratory experiment with short‐wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy analyses to first develop a Random Forest regression Model (RFM) capable of predicting Antarctic moss turf water content (~5% error). The RFM was then applied to UAS‐borne SWIR imaging data (900–1700 nm,
- Published
- 2024
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