A technique for the determination of Louisiana marsh salinity zone from vegetation mapped by multispectral scanner data: A comparison of satellite and aircraft data

Vegetation in selected study areas on the Louisiana coast was mapped using low altitude aircraft and satellite (LANDSAT) multispectral scanner data. Fresh, brackish, and saline marshes were then determined from the remotely sensed presence of dominant indicator plant associations. Such vegetational classifications were achieved from data processed through a standard pattern recognition computer program. The marsh salinity zone maps from the aircraft and satellite data compared favorably within the broad salinity regimes. The salinity zone boundaries determined by remote sensing compared favorably with those interpolated from line-transect field observations from an earlier year.