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<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Melanie S. Harris</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Ramesh L. Shrestha</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>William E. Carter</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Ellen A. Raabe</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2008</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;The geomorphology and vegetation of marsh-dominated coastal lowlands were mapped from airborne laser data points collected on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Cedar Key. Surface models were developed using low- and high-point filters to separate ground-surface and vegetation-canopy intercepts. In a non-automated process, the landscape was partitioned into functional landscape units to manage the modeling of key landscape features in discrete processing steps.&amp;nbsp; The final digital ground surface-elevation model offers a faithful representation of topographic relief beneath canopies of tidal marsh and coastal forest. Bare-earth models approximate field-surveyed heights by&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;u&gt;+&lt;/u&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;0.17 m in the open marsh and&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;u&gt;+&lt;/u&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;0.22 m under thick marsh or forest canopy. The laser-derived digital surface models effectively delineate surface features of relatively inaccessible coastal habitats with a geographic coverage and vertical detail previously unavailable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coastal topographic details include tidal-creek tributaries, levees, modest topographic undulations in the intertidal zone, karst features, silviculture, and relict sand dunes under coastal-forest canopy.&amp;nbsp; A combination of laser-derived ground-surface and canopy-height models and intensity values provided additional mapping capabilities to differentiate between tidal-marsh zones and forest types such as mesic flatwood, hydric hammock, and oak scrub. Additional derived products include fine-scale shoreline and topographic profiles. The derived products demonstrate the capability to identify areas of concern to resource managers and unique components of the coastal system from laser altimetry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Because the very nature of a wetland system presents difficulties for access and data collection, airborne coverage from remote sensors has become an accepted alternative for monitoring wetland regions.&amp;nbsp; Data acquisition with airborne laser represents a viable option for mapping coastal topography and for evaluating habitats and coastal change on marsh-dominated coasts. Such datasets can be instrumental in effective coastal-resource management.&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.3133/ofr20081125</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>U.S. Geological Survey</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Derivation of ground surface and vegetation in a coastal Florida wetland with airborne laser technology</dc:title>
  <dc:type>reports</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>