Discrimination of Sediment Type using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (DST-UAV)

保留字：遥感;无人驾驶航空器;沉积物;潮间带的;监测;这项研究将评估使用无人驾驶飞行器测量海滩上泥沙类型（如沙和泥）的可行性。测量沉积物类型对于充分了解沿海开发的环境影响至关重要。沿海地区的工业发展可能影响波浪和潮汐过程，从而改变沉积物类型的空间覆盖范围。每一种沉积物都有不同的性质，影响侵蚀和沉积的速度。此外，不同的沉积物类型提供了多样的生态生境，监管机构必须确保不同生境的覆盖范围不会改变到不可接受的程度。计划中的潮汐泻湖计划已引起监管机构，特别是威尔士自然资源部，质疑哪些调查工具适合监测可能建造泻湖的高潮差地区的此类变化。高潮差区域有广阔的潮间带（有时超过1公里的海岸线），这意味着很难直接测量沉积物类型;这既是出于健康和安全考虑，也是由于时间限制。现有的遥感技术需要有人驾驶的飞机，费用昂贵，因此不适合重复测量。由于自然环境对强迫条件随时间的变化作出反应，因此需要重复调查以评估变化。因此，需要成本效益更高的工具来提高测量频率，无人机是一种可能的低成本替代方法。将测试不同的传感器：标准相机，多光谱相机和热成像相机。基于无人机的多光谱和热传感器已应用于土壤科学中的沉积物性质测量，但尚未应用于高潮差潮间带。这些传感器将在斯旺西湾进行测试，斯旺西湾是英国第一个潮汐泻湖的拟议位置。将开发利用这些传感器遥感潮间带沉积物类型的方法。将评价所开发方法的适用性和准确性。评估将在斯旺西湾和英国各地的其他测试地点进行。可行性评估将基于这些试验的结果，并考虑其他限制因素，如无人机飞行规则。该项目对工业开发商，环境监管机构和进行沉积物类型评估的调查咨询公司非常重要。这项工作是特别及时的，因为新的低成本的工具，以监测变化的基板类型将提供的影响，通过输入到适应性环境监测计划协议，为未来的泻湖发展。所展示的工具也将用于查明其他自然和人为因素造成的变化。更频繁和更高空间分辨率的数据集将使更多的了解自然变异的基质类型，因此是学术界的极大兴趣。对于开发人员来说，使用无人机遥感将大大降低调查成本。所开发的技术将大大提高目前徒步进行沉积物类型监测的调查顾问目前作业的安全性。这可能是不安全的，因为在较低的潮间带周围存在泥浆，难以行走。该方法将扩大咨询公司能够测量沉积物类型的领域，提供更好的服务，并增加他们向新客户提供的服务的价值。项目合作伙伴集团包括：潮汐泻湖电力公司，一家开发商;威尔士自然资源公司，一家监管机构;自然英格兰公司，一家咨询机构;以及AG调查公司，一家调查咨询公司。因此，在使用无人驾驶航空器进行沉积物测绘方面感兴趣的所有各方的代表都包括在该小组内。

Keywords: Remote sensing; unmanned aerial vehicles; sediment; intertidal; monitoring;This study will assess the feasibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to measure sediment type such as sand and mud on beaches. Measurement of sediment type is vital to fully understand the environmental impact of coastal development. Industrial developments in the coastal zone may affect wave and tidal processes which can change the spatial coverage of sediment type. Each sediment type has varying properties which affect rates of erosion and deposition. Furthermore, different sediment types provide a diversity of ecological habitats and regulators must ensure that the coverages of different habitat do not change to an unacceptable amount. Planned tidal lagoon schemes have caused regulators, in particular Natural Resources Wales, to question which survey tools would be suitable to monitor such changes in high tidal range regions where lagoons are likely to be constructed. High tidal range regions have wide intertidal expanses (sometimes in excess of 1km cross-shore) which means direct measurement of sediment type is difficult; both due to health and safety considerations and time constraints. Existing remote sensing techniques require manned aircraft; are expensive; and thus are not suitable for repeat surveys. Repeat surveys are needed to assess change as the natural environment responds to changes in forcing conditions over time. More cost-effective tools are therefore required to improve frequency of measurements.UAVs represent a possible low-cost alternative. Different sensors will be tested: a standard camera, a multispectral camera and a thermal camera. Multispectral and thermal UAV based sensors have been applied to measurement of sediment properties in soil science but not to high tidal range intertidal regions. The sensors will be tested in Swansea Bay, the proposed location of the UK's first tidal lagoon. Methodologies to remotely sense intertidal sediment types using these sensors will be developed. The suitability and accuracy of the developed methodology will be evaluated. Evaluation will be made both at Swansea Bay and at a range of other test sites around the UK. The feasibility assessment will be based on the results of these trials and consideration of other limiting factors such as UAV flight regulations.This project is important for industrial developers, environmental regulators and for the survey consultancies who conduct assessments of sediment type. This work is particularly timely since new low cost tools to monitor changes to substrate type will provide impact by feeding into the adaptive environmental monitoring plan protocols for future lagoon developments. The tools demonstrated will also be of use to identify changes caused by other natural and anthropogenic factors. More frequent and higher spatial resolution datasets will enable greater understanding of the natural variability in substrate type and hence be of great interest to the academic community. For developers, the use of UAV remote sensing will facilitate significant survey cost reduction. The techniques developed will substantially improve the safety of current operations for survey consultants who currently undertake sediment type monitoring on foot. This can be unsafe due to the presence of mud around the lower intertidal which is difficult to walk over. The methodology will extend the area that consultancies are able to measure sediment type in, providing an improved service and increasing the value of their offer to new clients. The project partner group includes: Tidal Lagoon Power, a developer; Natural Resources Wales, a regulatory body; Natural England, an advisory body; and AG Surveys, a survey consultancy. Therefore, representatives of all interested parties in the use of UAVs for the purpose of sediment mapping are included in the group.