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reasonable precision. Salt marsh habitats

were however often misclassified (35%

accurate) as mangroves, due to the very

similar spectral signature given off by

these habitats on satellite imagery. Algal

mats (38% accurate) were also often

misclassified as sabkha or salt marsh,

which may reflect the natural succession

of habitats over time (the imagery being

from 2000 and the field-based sampling

having taken place 12 years later). The

overall accuracy of the maps was 40%. It

is suggested that the significant time gap

between the mapping and the sampling is

the main contributor to the discrepancy in

remote and field based observations.

As a result of these studies, the overall

extent of Blue Carbon Ecosystems in

Abu Dhabi has been determined and is

illustrated in Figure 4.

Ecosystem Extent (ha)

Seagrass 158,000

Saltmarsh 4,000

Algal mat 10,000

candidate Blue Carbon ecosystem

Mangrove 14,000

Coastal Sabkha 389,000

associated Blue Carbon ecosystem

Figure 4

The extent of

selected marine and coastal

ecosystems in Abu Dhabi

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