The article discusses the importance of understanding seabed features for effective marine environmental management, particularly in light of climate change impacting coastal hazards. It emphasizes the increasing availability of bathymetric data and the rise of marine geomorphometry, which allows for the quantitative analysis of seabed features. As traditional manual classification methods become impractical, semi-automated approaches are needed to analyze large datasets.
To address these needs, the article introduces the Seabed Landforms Classification Toolset, designed to classify prominent shelf features like reefs and sediment plains in coastal regions. The toolset incorporates established classification terms and methods within an ArcGIS framework and focuses on variables such as ruggedness, slope, and bathymetric position index (BPI) to identify seabed landforms effectively.
The classification process is broken down into stages, including DEM preparation, surface element classification, and landform classification, allowing for both automated procedures and user-defined edits. The toolset’s applicability is demonstrated across various data types and coastal environments, showing its versatility and potential to enhance understanding of seabed geomorphology for planning and hazard assessment.
The article concludes that the toolset enables efficient seabed classification while enabling users to customize outputs based on their specific needs, thus supporting broader marine and coastal management efforts amid increasing data collection initiatives.
Overall, the toolset offers a flexible, user-friendly approach to seabed classification, integrating automation and expert interpretation to support effective marine spatial planning and decision-making.
Source link
