Field spectra from salmon spawning locations on the American River, California, November 5-7, 2018

This child data release includes field spectra obtained as part of a study focused on mapping chinook salmon spawning locations along the American River near Sacramento, California, via remote sensing; the data were collected November 5-7, 2018. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a spectrally based technique for identifying salmon spawning locations, known as redds, from various types of remotely sensed data. Traditionally, redds have been mapped by eye while walking the bank or from a boat, or by an observer in an aircraft or an interpreter visually examining aerial images. The goal of this proof-of-concept investigation was to assess the potential for more efficient, objective, and automated redd mapping from conventional [...]