Reconnaissance - In preparation for this study, seven marshes were explored around the Delmarva peninsula.  These ranged from saltwater marshes of the coastal bays, to brackish marshes along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to fresh water tidal marshes up the Nanticoke River.  Some experiments were done with photography to look at canopy and plant structure and the effects of light.

Field Data - Field data was taken using a LICOR LAI2000 Plant Canopy Analyser to get the leaf area index (LAI) for a number of sites.  A couple of spectrometers (ASD Handheld FieldSpec and Ocean Optics Inc. USB2000+) were used to measure reflectances of marsh vegetation canopies along transects from a instrument boom, which was extended from a moving vehicle.

Instrument Data - To use the spectrometers in the field, a number of experiments were carried out to either test the instrument performance, improve familiarity with their use, and to calibrate components used in the field.

Satellite Data - Multi-angular spectral data was acquired from spaceborne platforms to explore application of such data in quantifying conditions of the canopy architecture from space.