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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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