POSTER SESSION 2
10:30–12:30, Tuesday, September 15
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
ABSTRACT 1413 | POSTER 186
A SEMI-AUTOMATED WORKFLOW FOR NEAR-REAL-TIME BENTHIC CANOPY MAPPING IN THE ORBETELLO LAGOON (ITALY) FROM SENTINEL-2 DATA
The shallow coastal lagoon of Orbetello in southern Tuscany (Italy) is a fragile transitional ecosystem. Decadal anthropogenic pressure has caused the eutrophication of the lagoon’s waters and macroalgae proliferation. In recent years, extended periods of rising temperatures and reduced precipitation have caused the algal biomass to decompose in late spring, leading to anoxic conditions that in turn trigger mass mortalities of aquatic organisms and the collapse of the entire ecosystem in summer. Local administrative authorities have a pressing need to map the lagoon’s benthic canopy to monitor its growth and plan mitigation strategies. This study establishes a semi-automated workflow for autonomous, near-real-time monitoring of benthic coverage using Sentinel-2 data. Cloud-free images are downloaded post-acquisition and atmospherically corrected (including sunglint removal) using the POLYMER algorithm. The resulting Remote Sensing Reflectances are processed through a physics-based model inversion approach (SwamPy) optimized for shallow waters. SwamPy employs optimization techniques to assess bottom coverage based on the spectral reflectance of up to three distinct bottom types. This workflow was applied to early spring images from 2018, 2019, and 2026, capturing diverse macrophyte cover conditions, and validated using concurrent in situ data. Once calibrated, the workflow operates with minimal manual intervention, reducing the need for costly in situ campaigns, and provides additional estimates for water column constituents and water depth. The results demonstrate that this workflow enables the use of Sentinel-2 data to map macroalgal coverage with sufficient accuracy to support the timely activation of preventive management actions.
Giuliana Profeti, CNR-ISMAR, [email protected]
Federica Braga, CNR-ISMAR, [email protected]
Maria Laura Zoffoli, CNR-ISMAR, [email protected]
Vittorio Ernesto Brando, CNR-ISMAR, [email protected]
Poster Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Schedule at a Glance
