Imagery from BOSS and uBRUV drops for mapping temperate subtidal seagrass of Tayaritja Sea Country (Furneaux Group of Islands), Lutruwita (Tasmania) (NESP MaC 3.6)

Seagrass beds are a dominant marine ecosystem of Tayaritja (the Furneaux Group of Islands) in the north-eastern waters off Tasmania. Historical coarse mapping has indicated extensive beds of Posidonia, Amphibolis, Heterozostera, and Zostera species, potentially comprising some of the largest and deepest seagrass extents found in temperate Australian waters. However, limited data on the distribution and ecological value of these seagrass habitats represents a significant knowledge gap in understanding Australia's wetland natural assets.This project mapped the extent, ecological composition, population structure, and blue carbon value of seagrass beds around Tayaritja, in partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. The study area focused on the coastal waters surrounding Flinders Island in the western Furneaux Group, with mapping extending from the high tide line to the depth limit of reliable optical detection (approximately 30 m), based on analysis of field data and satellite imagery capabilities in the region.The field validation component of this study involved deployment of benthic video platforms to capture imagery of seagrass beds and associated ecosystems. A field campaign deployed a Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS) and unBaited Remote Underwater stereo-Video system (stereo-uBRUV) at approximately 400 locations to collect photoquadrats and validate remote sensing outputs. Imagery annotation was conducted in the SQUIDLE+ platform.See dataset https://doi.org/10.25959/e4s6-ge74 for habitat maps derived from field validation and remote sensing inputs.The approach developed through this study contributed to the creation of the NESP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Seagrass Mapping using Optical Remote Sensing (https://sustainabledevelopmentreform.github.io/nesp-sop-seagrass-mapping)..See the "Lineage" section of this record for full methodology of field collection techniques.

海草床（seagrass beds）是塔斯马尼亚东北部海域塔亚里贾（Tayaritja，弗诺群岛群（Furneaux Group of Islands））的优势海洋生态系统。此前的粗略测绘结果显示，该区域分布有大面积的波喜荡属（Posidonia）、海神草属（Amphibolis）、异叶藻属（Heterozostera）以及大叶藻属（Zostera）海草床，可能是澳大利亚温带海域中分布范围最广、分布深度最深的海草床之一。然而，目前关于这些海草栖息地的分布与生态价值的数据极为匮乏，这成为制约澳大利亚湿地自然资产认知的重要知识盲区。本项目与塔斯马尼亚原住民中心（Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre）合作，对塔亚里贾周边海草床的分布范围、生态组成、种群结构及蓝碳（blue carbon）价值开展了测绘工作。本研究的调查区域聚焦于弗诺群岛西部的弗林德斯岛周边近岸海域，测绘范围从高潮线延伸至可靠光学探测的深度极限（约30米），该范围的确定基于对区域野外数据与卫星影像成像能力的分析。本研究的野外验证环节采用了底栖视频平台，以采集海草床及其关联生态系统的影像数据。本次野外作业在约400个点位部署了底栖观测调查系统（Benthic Observation Survey System，BOSS）与无诱饵水下立体远程视频系统（unBaited Remote Underwater stereo-Video system，简称stereo-uBRUV），以采集样方照片并对遥感输出结果进行验证。影像标注工作在SQUIDLE+平台上完成。如需获取基于野外验证与遥感输入生成的栖息地分布图集，请查阅数据集：https://doi.org/10.25959/e4s6-ge74。本研究开发的方法助力了《基于光学遥感的海草测绘NESP标准作业流程（Standard Operating Procedure，SOP）》的编制，相关文档详见：https://sustainabledevelopmentreform.github.io/nesp-sop-seagrass-mapping。如需了解野外采集技术的完整方法，请查阅本记录的“谱系（Lineage）”章节。