CHAPTER 19
Initial Attempts to Assess the Importance of the Distribution of
Saltmarsh Communities on the Sediment Budget of the North
Norfolk Coast
N.J. Brown, R.Cox, R.Pakeman, A.G.Thomson, R.A.Wadsworth, and M.Yates
ABSTRACT: Very high resolution imagery from an airborne multi-spectral scanner
has been used to estimate the distribution of different saltmarsh communities along a
thirty kilometre stretch of the North Norfolk coast. Field observations have been used
to develop a mathematical relationship between the vegetation, physical environment
and sediment accumulation. This relationship has been used to produce provisional
sediment accretion maps for the North Norfolk coast.
Introduction
The inter-tidal zone is very dynamic and changes occur on every tide. In addition to
these frequent but gradual changes, the occasional extreme event can significantly alter
the shape and character of the ‘landscape’. This dynamism is part of what makes the
inter-tidal zone such an interesting area of study, but it also generates problems in
quantifying change. It is important to remember that the inter-tidal zone provides a
number of valuable ‘environmental services’, in particular saltmarshes protect land
and housing from flooding, act as a nursery for fish and shellfish and are a place of
recreation.
Work on this chapter arose from the activities of the BIOTA (Biological
Influences On inter-Tidal Areas) programme within LOIS (Land Ocean Interaction
Study). A description of the aims and objectives of the BIOTA programme and
especially the development of a prototype spatial decision support system (SDSS) can
be found in Brown et al. (1997). In this chapter we concentrate on the development of
a spatially articulate model to fit within the SDSS framework to allow users to
233
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-lnformation Systems, 233–245.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Initial Attempts to Assess the Importance of the Distribution of
Saltmarsh Communities on the Sediment Budget of the North
Norfolk Coast
N.J. Brown, R.Cox, R.Pakeman, A.G.Thomson, R.A.Wadsworth, and M.Yates
ABSTRACT: Very high resolution imagery from an airborne multi-spectral scanner
has been used to estimate the distribution of different saltmarsh communities along a
thirty kilometre stretch of the North Norfolk coast. Field observations have been used
to develop a mathematical relationship between the vegetation, physical environment
and sediment accumulation. This relationship has been used to produce provisional
sediment accretion maps for the North Norfolk coast.
Introduction
The inter-tidal zone is very dynamic and changes occur on every tide. In addition to
these frequent but gradual changes, the occasional extreme event can significantly alter
the shape and character of the ‘landscape’. This dynamism is part of what makes the
inter-tidal zone such an interesting area of study, but it also generates problems in
quantifying change. It is important to remember that the inter-tidal zone provides a
number of valuable ‘environmental services’, in particular saltmarshes protect land
and housing from flooding, act as a nursery for fish and shellfish and are a place of
recreation.
Work on this chapter arose from the activities of the BIOTA (Biological
Influences On inter-Tidal Areas) programme within LOIS (Land Ocean Interaction
Study). A description of the aims and objectives of the BIOTA programme and
especially the development of a prototype spatial decision support system (SDSS) can
be found in Brown et al. (1997). In this chapter we concentrate on the development of
a spatially articulate model to fit within the SDSS framework to allow users to
233
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-lnformation Systems, 233–245.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.