India, March 9 -- Researchers at The University of Western Australia have led the development of a new technique for accurately mapping shallow and coastal marine habitats.

Dr Sharyn Hickey and Dr Stan Mastrantonis, from UWA's School of Agriculture and Environment, School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, were co-authors of the research published in the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

"In an era where critically important coastal ecosystems are threatened by climate change, there is a fundamental need for efficient, reliable mapping and monitoring of marine vegetation," Dr Mastrantonis said.

"Traditional remote sensing methods have struggled to track changes in key underwater flora, such as kelp and seagr...