Droning On in Estuaries

Tracking and reporting on short-term change and long-term trends in coastal environments is in the DNA of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Traditionally, Reserves have relied on platform-based monitoring methods, such as those used in the System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), and land based measurements like transects, which measure changes in wetlands. However, these conventional approaches can fall short, especially in the hard-to-reach areas where Reserves operate.

Enter drone technology. North Carolina is one of a growing number of Reserves using drone technology to enhance data collection. By giving researchers a bird’s-eye view of habitats, they are uncovering valuable insights into ecosystem changes that may have been overlooked. 

“We noticed that while transects offer valuable snapshots of habitat conditions, they can miss larger patterns, such as marsh die-offs and pool formations,” says Justin Ridge, the Reserve’s research coordinator. “Drones make it possible to monitor from above, offering a more holistic view of coastal changes.”

Drones also cut down on the disturbances caused by on-the-ground surveys. In areas without boardwalks, walking transects can cause damage to sensitive habitats. Drone technology minimizes this impact, while still allowing essential data to be collected. 

With funding from the NERRS Science Collaborative, Justin and colleagues from the North Inlet-Winyah Bay, ACE Basin, Sapelo Island, Guana Tolomato Matanzas, and Jobos Bay Reserves formed a regional collaboration to develop protocols for drone use that works for different landscapes and terrains—from North Carolina’s marshes to Puerto Rico’s mangroves. The result was a detailed guide on collecting, processing, and analyzing drone data. By sharing protocols and best practices, Southeast Reserves and others can build on each other’s successes and adapt to the needs of different ecosystems across the country. 

While some challenges remain to monitoring by drone—such as differentiating species within mixed plant communities—the technology’s ability to capture landscape-level changes offers significant benefits.

“This effort confirmed that drone monitoring is not just applicable to one or two sites but can be expanded nationwide,” notes Ridge. “With relatively little effort, we will now be able to monitor even small shifts in wetland extent and coverage over a much broader scale.”

This work has wide reaching applications in the System and beyond. The NERRS Science Collaborative-sponsored project, Drone the NERRS, is testing the drone monitoring protocol at several other sites. Another project leveraging the Southeast regional collaboration, blithely referred to as “Drone the Oysters,” used drone technology to map and monitor oyster reefs, contributing critical information for restoration, management, and conservation efforts. Margaret A. Davidson Fellow Mina Surprenant will be working at the North Carolina Reserve to use drone technology in a landscape-wide assessment. 

As drone technology evolves, so too will its use within the Reserve System. 

“New regulations and updates to drone technology will require us to continue updating our methods,” Ridge laughs. “Our work is never done.”

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