Seagrass Habitat Mapping
Seagrass habitat mapping and monitoring has been conducted to understand the biophysical characteristics of seagrass habitats through space and time and has been studied in various regions, including Moreton Bay, Cockburn Sound, Lizard Island, Flinders Island, Tasmania, and Indonesia. For Moreton Bay, see the long-term monitoring section.
Locations
Moreton Bay, Cockburn Sound, Adelaide Coastal Water, Lizard Island, green Island, Great Barrier Reef, Flinders Island Tasmania, Lee Stocking Island Bahamas, Solomons, Fiji, Indonesia
People
Chris Roelfsema (PI), Eva Kovacs, Joanna Smart, Nick Hammerman, Kirsten Golding, Dylan Cowley, Mitchell Lyons, Kathryn Markey, Megan Saunders, and Muhammad Hafizt
Funding
Smart SAT CRC Hyperspectral Seagrass-Coral, The Lott, CSIRO, WAMSI University of Western Australia, and NEPS Coastal and Marine hub program, Packard Foundation
Timeframe
2000 - ongoing
Summary
Our seagrass research has been primarily developed in the Moreton Bay study areas (see seagrass long term monitoring. We developed and applied mapping, modelling and monitoring to understand the biophysical characteristics of seagrass through space and time since 1999.
Various projects used the lessons learned in Moreton Bay to further develop it for other projects such in Cockburn Sound, Western Australia, Lizard Island, Green Island, Flinders Island in Tasmania and overseas Solomons and Fiji,. The knowledge gained for mapping seagrass properties at large spatial extents regions to country scale is building on the experience with creating the habitat maps for the Allen Coral Atlas. The work resulted in ongoing activity in Indonesia with the Packard Foundation and form the basis to develop mapping approaches and seagrass knowledge hub at global scale.
Publications
Scientific journals
Sjafrie NDM, P Wicaksono, UE Hernawan, DM Yuwono, M Hafizt, N Susetyo Adi, R Ambo-Rappe, B Prayudha, M Banda Selamat, S Yunia Sani, S Djody Harahap, H Nur Salsabila, J Wijaya, C.M. Roelfsema (2023) Network analysis reveals overlapping roles of stakeholders related to seagrass-data provisioning in Indonesia. Marine Policy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105837
McKenzie, L.J., L.A. Langlois, and C.M. Roelfsema, (2022), Improving Approaches to Mapping Seagrass within the Great Barrier Reef: From Field to Spaceborne Earth Observation. Remote Sensing, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14112604
McMahon K, Kilminster K, Canto R, Roelfsema C, Lyons M, Kendrick GA, Waycott M and Udy J (2022) The Risk of Multiple Anthropogenic and Climate Change Threats Must Be Considered for Continental Scale Conservation and Management of Seagrass Habitat. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:837259. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.837259
McKenzie J. Len, Lina M. Nordlund, Benjamin L. Jones, Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth, C.M. Roelfsema, Richard K.F. Unsworth (2020) The global distribution of seagrass meadows. Environmental Research Letters https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7d06
Samper-Villarreal, J., Mumby, P.J., Saunders, M.I., Roelfsema, C., & Lovelock, C.E. (2018). Seagrass Organic Carbon Stocks Show Minimal Variation Over Short Time Scales in a Heterogeneous Subtropical Seascape. Estuaries and Coasts.
Jimena Samper-Villarreal, C.M. Roelfsema, Eva M. Kovacs, Novi Adi, Mitch Lyons, Peter J. Mumby, Catherine E. Lovelock, Megan. Saunders, and Stuart R. Phinn (2017) Seagrass morphometrics at species level in Moreton Bay, SE Queensland, Australia during 2012-2013. Nature Scientific Data, https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.60
Albert, S., Saunders, M.I., Roelfsema, C. M., Leon, J.X., Johnstone, E., Mackenzie J. R., Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Duke, N. C., Mumby, P. J. , Phinn, S. R., Grinham, Alistair R., Kovacs, E. and Woodroffe, C. D. (2017) Winners and losers as mangrove, coral and seagrass ecosystems respond to sea-level rise in Solomon Islands, Ecosystem Response Letters https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7e68
York P.H., T.M. Smith; R.G. Coles; S.A. McKenna; R.M. Connolly; A.D. Irving; E.L. Jackson; K. McMahon; J.W. Runcie; C.D. Sherman; B.K. Sullivan; S.M. Trevathan-Tackett; K.E. Brodersen; A.B. Carter; C.J. Ewers; P.S. Lavery; C.M. Roelfsema; E.A. Sinclair; S. Strydom; J.E. Tanner; K. van Dijk; F.Y. Warry; M. Waycott; S. Whitehead (2016) “Identifying knowledge gaps in seagrass research and management: an Australian perspective.” Marine Environmental Research https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.06.006
Adams M.P., M.I. Saunders, P.S. Maxwell, D. Tuazon, C.M. Roelfsema, D.P. Callaghan, J. Leon, A. R. Grinham, K.R. O’Brien (2015) Prioritising localised management actions for seagrass conservation and restoration using a species distribution model Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2573
Saunders Megan, I., Elisa Bayraktarov, M. Roelfsema Chris, X. Leon Javier, Jimena Samper-Villarreal, R. Phinn Stuart, E. Lovelock Catherine, and J. Mumby Peter. (2015) "Spatial and Temporal Variability of Seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef." In Botanica Marina, 35: https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2014-0060
Roelfsema, C. M., S. R. Phinn, S. Jupiter, J. Comley and S. Albert (2013). "Mapping Coral Reefs at Reef to Reef-System Scales (10-600 Km2) Using Obia Driven Ecological and Geomorphic Principles." International Journal of Remote Sensing, https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2013.800660
Dekker A.G., S.R. Phinn, Anstee J., Bissett P., Brando V.E., Casey B., Fearns P., Hedley J., Klonowski, W., Lee Z.P., Lynch M., Lyons M., Mobley C. , and Roelfsema C.M. (2011) Intercomparison of shallow water bathymetry, hydro-optics, and benthos mapping techniques in Australian and Caribbean coastal environments.. Limnol. Oceanogr.: Methods https://doi.org/10:4319/lom.2011.9.396
Arthur, K.E., C.J. Limpus, C.M. Roelfsema, J. Udy and G.R. Shaw (2006). A Winter Bloom of Lyngbya majuscula in Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, Australia: An Important Feeding Ground for the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Harmful Algae, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2005.07.006
Scientific Data
Saunders, Megan I; Roelfsema, Chris M; Phinn, Stuart R; Canto, Robert Franklin C; Brown, Christopher J; Atkinson, Scott; Leon, Javier X (2013): Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef conducted on October 3-7, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.807406
Saunders, Megan I; Roelfsema, Chris M; Phinn, Stuart R; Canto, Robert Franklin C; Brown, Christopher J; Leon, Javier X (2013): Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in Lizard Island Reef conducted on December 10-15, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.807404