1 1.10 Application of estuarine and coastal classifications in marine ...

NOAA’s CoastWatch Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) uses digital remote sensing
data from LandsatTM and aerial photography together with georeferenced in situ measurements
to monitor change in coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, and adjacent uplands at five year
intervals. C-CAP has developed a relatively coarse thematic resolution hierarchical classification
scheme with 15 upland classes and 14 wetland classes, primarily to include key classes that can
be accurately discriminated from multispectral satellite data (Dobson et al. 1995;
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/tech_cls.html). The coastal classification system is a component
of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and was designed to be compatible with the U.S.
Geological Survey “Land Use and Land Cover Classification for use with remote sensing data”;
2) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the
United States and 3) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP) classification system. In addition to depicting the land cover status
for a given point in time, comparing maps from various years documents how land cover
changes over time. With these maps users can examine how the land cover has changed (e.g.,
from forests to shrubs) and the amount of change can be easily quantified, as well as the change
in spatial patterning (e.g., fragmentation) of individual land cover classes or entire landscape
units. This information can be used to better understand the cumulative effects of environmental
change, including the impacts of urban development and agriculture on the losses, gains and
quality of wildlife habitat and indicators that link land cover change with ecosystem health can
be developed and evaluated.
1.10.7.2 Tracking Coastal Habitat Change in New Jersey, USA
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