11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Oral Mini-Symposium 17: Emerging Techniques in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis
17-33
Geospatial Analysis: An Effective Tool For Simulating The Spatial And Temporal
Dynamics Of Tropical Cyclone Disturbance Of Coral Reef Communities Across The
Great Barrier Reef Region
Marji PUOTINEN* 1 , Katharina FABRICIUS 2 , Glenn DE'ATH 2 , Terry DONE 2
1 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong,
Australia, 2 Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
Tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) can cause major mechanical damage to coral
reefs, which when repeated over time, can significantly affect the structure and function
of reef communities such as those of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
Understanding the timing and frequency of these events (disturbance regime) requires
mapping both the energy generated by each of a representative set of cyclones and the
subsequent reef damage. However, direct measurements like these are rare in the GBR.
For this reason, a meteorological model adapted to run in a GIS was used to reconstruct
maximum wind speeds (as a proxy for wave heights) for 85 cyclones that passed near the
GBR from 1969 to 2003. A comparison with limited field data of damage from cyclones
Ivor and Joy (1990) and Justin (1997) was used to establish thresholds of maximum
winds capable of damaging reefs. From these, a disturbance history was constructed. In
2005, severe tropical cyclone Ingrid crossed the Far Northern GBR, a region that had not
been affected by major disturbances of any kind for several decades, and where benthic
data had been collected before the event. This provided a unique opportunity to test the
skill of the model in predicting reef damage and to refine the damage thresholds. An
extensive field survey (82 sites on 32 reefs along the modelled wind gradient) showed
that the types and intensity of damage were well explained by modelled maximum wind
speed, and by spatial and biotic factors. For example, maximum winds 40 m s -1 caused
catastrophic damage on inshore and offshore reefs, respectively. These results are being
used to better understand both current and future (possible greater frequency / intensity)
cyclone disturbance regime dynamics.
17-34
Marine Integrated Decision Analysis System (Midas)
Suchi GOPAL* 1 , Les KAUFMANN 1 , Hrishi PATEL 1
1 Boston University, Boston, MA
Marine areas are critical regions on the Earth's surface as nearly two-thirds of the world's
people live within 150 km of a coastline and are dependent on marine resources. Marine
conservation has become seminal in this context. We present a spatial decision support
system framework called MIDAS - Marine Integrated Decision Analysis System that
integrates spatial and nonspatial data for marine management. The components of
MIDAS are: (1) JIM (Java Interface for Managers) a graphic interface and JAVA code
(programming) that allows a MMA manager to change parameters or conditions as a
thought experiment and see outputs or consequences of a user-driven change in parameter
states; (2) a GIS database that appears in map form, called JIM-Mapper, implemented
using ArcIMS, that allows for dynamic GIS displays and spatial analysis; 3) a Bayesian
Belief Networks (BBNs) to provide an appropriate method for developing predictive
models of marine management effectiveness. The marine BBN's general structure is that
of an integrated knowledge extraction/expert system. Knowledge is extracted from
scientific literature as well as from experts for representing concepts as well as their
relationships. BBNs represent information in the form of probabilities, enabling many
different sources of data to be integrated and analyzed according to a common
framework. We discuss the implementation of the three components of MIDAS for
Belize and Brazil marine coastal management.
17-35
A Procedure To Target Coral Reef Deterioration Using Ikonos Satellite Imagery, Zone
Boundaries, And Coral Reef Use
Candace NEWMAN* 1
1 Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
We have developed a procedure to identify specific locations of coral habitat that have a ‘high
probability of acute deterioration’ caused by human impact. The procedure uses satellite
imagery, coral zonal boundaries, and coral reef use by dive operators and fishermen. The
procedure involves development of a habitat map, then overlaying zonal boundaries and reef
use data in a GIS. Using a set of criteria, sites with a ‘high probability of acute deterioration’ are
identified, and then validated using in-situ field survey data. The potential for this procedure to
address local coral reef management issues is significant, and relevant to current management
projects on Bunaken Island, Indonesia.
It is increasingly evident that context-relevant maps are essential to address acute coral reef
degradation concerns in developing nations. On Bunaken Island, specific coral reef
management projects are consistently undertaken, and many projects are focused on conflict
resolution between coral reef resource user groups – dive operators and fishermen. Therefore, a
challenge is to utilize remotely sensed information, combined with context-specific information,
to contribute relevant and useful management information to these projects.
In this study, we develop a procedure to address this challenge. IKONOS satellite imagery was
captured in 2001 and 2004 and has been integrated with zonal boundary data of Bunaken Island,
which recognizes different coral reef use activities and coral reef use data by dive operator and
fishermen groups. Following integration and analysis in a GIS, sites of ‘high probability of
acute deterioration’ have been identified. Results were validated using field survey data, as well
as contributions from Universitas Sam Ratulangi and local NGOs.
17-36
The Coral Reef Landscape: Spatial Patterns Of Water Quality in The Florida
Daniel WAGNER* 1 , Eric MIELBRECHT 2 , Robert VAN WOESIK 1
1 Department of Biology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 2 Emerald Coast
Environmental Consulting, Washington, DC
While we have some peripheral understanding of water-quality ‘weather’, which includes
nutrients, salinity, temperature and turbidity, we know little about the coral-reef landscape
‘climate’ and the influences of that climate on coral-community structure. Determining the
scales of the inherent variability of key environmental variables is clearly necessary. We use
landscape-ecology techniques coupled with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
technologies to examine the spatial dynamics of specific water-quality parameters along the
Florida Keys reef tract. The spatial distance at which temperature variance stabilized throughout
the region was dependent on whether the samples were from the surface or near-substrate.
Greater homogeneity was found for near-substrate temperatures, with patches at ≤ 1.075 km
compared to ≤ 0.893 km for the surface. Salinity was more homogeneous at the surface (≤ 1.662
km) than near the substrate (≤ 0.234 km). Surface chlorophyll a showed greater homogeneity at
≤ 0.592 km while DIN patches were more homogeneous near the substrate (≤ 2.873 km) than at
the surface (≤ 0.151 km). The greater variability of other parameters, including turbidity and
total nitrogen, precluded accurate predictions at the applied spatial scale of sampling. This is not
to say turbidity for example is not important, because it is, but we need to re-evaluate the
sampling strategy to capture the inherent scale at which these parameters vary. Moreover,
temperature variance decreased across the shelf from inshore zones to offshore as a function of
distance from the shoreline. The significant difference between surface and near-substrate
temperatures seriously questions the commonplace use of sea surface temperature data in
evaluating direct influence on reef corals because it ignores the variability of the system due to
the stratification of the water column.
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