Salt marsh surveying gets more precise
Scott Richardson ~ 2009-05-26
Salt marshes provide the first defense against storm energy and sea level rise, so measuring land elevations accurately in intertidal areas is essential to effective decisionmaking in the coastal zone.
Small changes in the elevation of salt marshes can dramatically affect coastal areas, but monitoring changes has been problematic with the tools available. A new technique, real-time kinematic (RTK) surveying, promises to improve the accuracy of surveying in salt marshes.
Last week, more than a dozen scientists gathered at the Wells Reserve to learn how to use RTK and leveling survey methods for high-precision elevation measurements. National Estuarine Research Reserves from Maine to North Carolina participated in the training, which was done by the National Geodetic Survey.
The RTK equipment remains with the Wells Reserve over the next month so it can be used in restored salt marshes from Kittery to Scarborough.
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