The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data
ABSTRACT Aim Tidal marsh ecosystems are heavily impacted by human activities, highlighting a pressing need to address gaps in our knowledge of their distribution. To better understand the global distribution and changes in tidal marsh extent, and identify opportunities for their conservation and res...
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ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/367745 2024-05-19T07:36:51+00:00 The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data Worthington, Thomas Spalding, Mark Landis, Emily Maxwell, Tania L Navarro, Alejandro Smart, Lindsey S Murray, Nicholas J 2024-04-30T23:30:57Z application/pdf https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/367745 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 eng eng Wiley Department of Zoology Global Ecology and Biogeography https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/367745 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Article 2024 ftunivcam https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 2024-05-01T23:31:04Z ABSTRACT Aim Tidal marsh ecosystems are heavily impacted by human activities, highlighting a pressing need to address gaps in our knowledge of their distribution. To better understand the global distribution and changes in tidal marsh extent, and identify opportunities for their conservation and restoration, it is critical to develop a spatial knowledge base of their global occurrence. Here, we develop a globally consistent tidal marsh distribution map for the year 2020 at 10-m resolution. Location Global Time period 2020 Major taxa studied Tidal marshes Methods To map the location of the world’s tidal marshes at 10-m resolution we applied a random forest classification model to earth observation data from the year 2020. We trained the classification model with a reference dataset developed to support distribution mapping of coastal ecosystems, and predicted the spatial distribution of tidal marshes between 60°N to 60°S. We validated the tidal marsh map using standard accuracy assessment methods, with our final map having an overall accuracy score of 0.85. Results We estimate the global extent of tidal marshes in 2020 to be 52,880km2 (95% CI: 32,030 to 59,780km2) distributed across 120 countries and territories. Tidal marsh distribution is centred in temperate and Arctic regions, with nearly half of the global extent of tidal marshes occurring in the temperate Northern Atlantic (45%) region. At the national scale, over a third of the global extent (18,510km2; CI: 11,200 – 20,900) occurs within the USA. Main conclusions Our analysis provides the most detailed spatial data on global tidal marsh distribution to date and shows that tidal marshes occur in more countries and across a greater proportion of the world’s coastline than previous mapping studies. Our map fills a major knowledge gap regarding the distribution of the world’s coastal ecosystems and provides the baseline needed for measuring changes in tidal marsh extent and estimating their value in terms of ecosystem services. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
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Open Polar |
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Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
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ftunivcam |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Aim Tidal marsh ecosystems are heavily impacted by human activities, highlighting a pressing need to address gaps in our knowledge of their distribution. To better understand the global distribution and changes in tidal marsh extent, and identify opportunities for their conservation and restoration, it is critical to develop a spatial knowledge base of their global occurrence. Here, we develop a globally consistent tidal marsh distribution map for the year 2020 at 10-m resolution. Location Global Time period 2020 Major taxa studied Tidal marshes Methods To map the location of the world’s tidal marshes at 10-m resolution we applied a random forest classification model to earth observation data from the year 2020. We trained the classification model with a reference dataset developed to support distribution mapping of coastal ecosystems, and predicted the spatial distribution of tidal marshes between 60°N to 60°S. We validated the tidal marsh map using standard accuracy assessment methods, with our final map having an overall accuracy score of 0.85. Results We estimate the global extent of tidal marshes in 2020 to be 52,880km2 (95% CI: 32,030 to 59,780km2) distributed across 120 countries and territories. Tidal marsh distribution is centred in temperate and Arctic regions, with nearly half of the global extent of tidal marshes occurring in the temperate Northern Atlantic (45%) region. At the national scale, over a third of the global extent (18,510km2; CI: 11,200 – 20,900) occurs within the USA. Main conclusions Our analysis provides the most detailed spatial data on global tidal marsh distribution to date and shows that tidal marshes occur in more countries and across a greater proportion of the world’s coastline than previous mapping studies. Our map fills a major knowledge gap regarding the distribution of the world’s coastal ecosystems and provides the baseline needed for measuring changes in tidal marsh extent and estimating their value in terms of ecosystem services. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Worthington, Thomas Spalding, Mark Landis, Emily Maxwell, Tania L Navarro, Alejandro Smart, Lindsey S Murray, Nicholas J |
spellingShingle |
Worthington, Thomas Spalding, Mark Landis, Emily Maxwell, Tania L Navarro, Alejandro Smart, Lindsey S Murray, Nicholas J The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
author_facet |
Worthington, Thomas Spalding, Mark Landis, Emily Maxwell, Tania L Navarro, Alejandro Smart, Lindsey S Murray, Nicholas J |
author_sort |
Worthington, Thomas |
title |
The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
title_short |
The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
title_full |
The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
title_fullStr |
The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
title_full_unstemmed |
The global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
title_sort |
global distribution of tidal marshes from earth observation data |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/367745 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_relation |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/367745 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.108215 |
_version_ |
1799475992501157888 |