UGM researcher & lecturer develop technology to support seagrass mapping

Tumbuhan-Lamun-atau-Seagrass-yang-Hidup-di-Dasar-Laut Photo by: Parangtritis Geoscience Maritime Park

Source: ANTARA
Date: April 13, 2022

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Pramaditya Wicaksono has developed remote sensing data processing technology for accurate, effective and efficient seagrass beds.


As quoted in a press statement received by the university in Yogyakarta, Tuesday, armed with the results of a study on seagrass beds that has been carried out since 2010, it has developed a remote sensing digital image data processing device for the needs of mapping carbon on the surface and carbon sequestration of seagrass ecosystems automatically.

The technology development involves many lecturers, researchers, and students and is supported by research institutions at home and abroad.

Research institutions involved in developing the technology include the BRIN Oceanographic Research Center, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Geospatial Information Agency, Hasanuddin University, and the BRIN Space Research Center, the University of Queensland, Wageningen University and Research, and TH Koeln (Cologne University of Applied Sciences). ).

Pramaditya said that the development of supporting technology regarding seagrass beds began with the development of seagrass management that was not optimal in Indonesia.

"Seagrass ecosystem services have not received much exposure and are still less popular than other blue carbon ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangrove forests," said the Chair of the UGM Cartography and Remote Sensing Study Program.

He explained that seagrass beds are one of the blue carbon ecosystems in coastal areas which are dominated by seagrass vegetation (angiosperms).

According to him, Indonesia is the center of the world's seagrass biodiversity which has five to 10 percent of the world's seagrass area.

Seagrass beds, he said, play an important role in maintaining the life of marine biota, making sea water clear, and becoming a stabilizer of aquatic sediments.

"Flower water plants also protect the earth because they can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change," he said.

Although the area is less than one percent of Earth's oceans, Pramaditya said, seagrass beds store about 18 percent of the total carbon in the ocean.

The ability of seagrass beds to absorb carbon and bury it in sediments, according to him, is up to 30 times higher than tropical rain forests, which are known as carbon-absorbing ecosystems.

This fact, he continued, places seagrass beds as the most effective and efficient carbon sinking ecosystem on earth.

Pramaditya said that the economic value of seagrass ecosystem services is also much higher than other blue carbon ecosystems such as mangrove forests and coral reefs.

According to him, the valuation of the seagrass ecosystem reaches 19,004 US dollars per hectare per year, while the value of the mangrove forest ecosystem is 9,990 US dollars per hectare per year and the coral reef ecosystem is valued at 6,075 US dollars per hectare per year.

Therefore, he said, the management of seagrass ecosystems needs to be carried out in a sustainable manner.

The management of seagrass ecosystems, according to him, requires the support of information regarding the spatial and temporal distribution of seagrass beds as well as biophysical information such as species variations, percentage cover, biomass, carbon stocks, and carbon uptake rates.

In addition, information is also needed regarding changes in the area of seagrass beds in Indonesia and the various causes.

The availability of this information on a multi-temporal basis is very important to see the dynamics that occur in the seagrass ecosystem.

"It takes a long time, specialized personnel, and large funds for conventional surveys of seagrass beds in Indonesia. Plus the lack of historical data related to the spatial and temporal distribution of seagrass beds. Therefore, we continue to develop remote sensing data processing methods for seagrass competence," said Pramaditya.

Source link: https://www.antaranews.com/berita/2815917/dosen-ugm-kembangkan-teknologi-pendukung-pemetaan-padang-lamun

Head of BMKG suggests Government should stem the p...
What is the Function of the National Water Resourc...
 

Comments

Comments are not available for users without an account. Please login first to view these comments.

Providing you the latest news, insights, opportunities and events from the Indonesia water sector.

Indonesia Water Journal

Subscribe to our newsletter.