Sturgeon Island is an experimental marsh nourishment site.
Field visit prior to surveying.
GPS/GNSS survey equipment for measuring existing surface elevations.
Completed photogrammetry model after the UAV surveying.
Three-dimensional model of Sturgeon Island. This data will be important for gauging changes in the sediment placement as it settles.
Sturgeon Island UAV Mapping
Coastlines are migrating upland faster than at any point in recorded history. As dunes and coastal marshes disappear, the need for littoral adaptation increases. In recognition of this, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has placed an increasing importance on developing sediment placement strategies for restoring deteriorating coastal wetlands. These strategies, however, are still experimental and need to be monitored to track their performance. The EMLab is assisting The Wetlands Institute and USACE in monitoring and analyzing a recent sediment placement on Sturgeon Island in the Great Sound Bay of New Jersey.