Unified Geomorphological Analysis Workflows with Benthic Terrain Modeler

Author： Walbridge Shaun Slocum Noah Pobuda Marjean Wright Dawn J.

Publisher： MDPI

E-ISSN： 2076-3263|8|3|94-94

ISSN： 2076-3263

Source： Geosciences, Vol.8, Iss.3, 2018-03, pp. : 94-94

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Abstract

High resolution remotely sensed bathymetric data is rapidly increasing in volume, but analyzing this data requires a mastery of a complex toolchain of disparate software, including computing derived measurements of the environment. Bathymetric gradients play a fundamental role in energy transport through the seascape. Benthic Terrain Modeler (BTM) uses bathymetric data to enable simple characterization of benthic biotic communities and geologic types, and produces a collection of key geomorphological variables known to affect marine ecosystems and processes. BTM has received continual improvements since its 2008 release; here we describe the tools and morphometrics BTM can produce, the research context which this enables, and we conclude with an example application using data from a protected reef in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.