Mapping Baltic Sea benthic macroalgal cover with multispectral and hyperspectral satellite sensors

Suitability of a multispectral sensor with high spatial resolution (QuickBird, 2.4 m) and a hyperspectral senor with medium spatial resolution (Hyperion, 30 m) was tested in mapping benthic macroalgal cover in West Estonian Archipelago, eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The results of this study indicate that using of multispectral satellite data with high spatial resolution is preferable to using of hyperspectral medium resolution data in mapping benthic macroalgal cover in areas where the spatial heterogeneity is high. The number of benthic classes detectable in a multispectral image is higher than was expected based on previous model estimations. This can be explained with variability in both shape and magnitude of reflectance spectra which can be utilised when a single image is used and in situ data is available.