11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

Poster Mini-Symposium 17: Emerging Techniques in Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis
17.569
Regional-Scale Seagrass Habitat Mapping in The Wider Caribbean Region
Colette WABNITZ* 1 , Serge ANDREFOUET 2 , Damaris TORRES-PULLIZA 3 , Frank
MUELLER KARGER 4 , Philip KRAMER 5
1 Geography, SAUP, Fisheries Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2 IRD, Noumea, New
Caledonia, 3 USF, St Petersburg, FL, 4 UMASS, North Dartmouth, MA, 5 Nature
Conservancy, Sugarloaf Key, FL
Seagrass meadows occupy a large proportion of the world's coastal oceans, but human
activities have caused significant declines in the extent of these marine communities.
Effective conservation and the provision of effective conservation targets for seagrass is
presently limited by the absence of reliable information on the extent of these systems.
Here we tested the feasibility of large-scale seagrass mapping using Landsat-based
images in the context of limited ground-truth data. Using geomorphological
segmentation, contextual editing, and supervised classifications, we mapped seagrass
throughout the Western Carribean Region (WCR). Products' accuracies were assessed
against (i) selected in situ data; (ii) patterns detectable with high-resolution IKONOS
images; and (iii) published habitat maps with documented accuracies. Overall
classification accuracies (46-88%) represent a drastic improvement relative to current
regional databases. This new mapping will provide an adequate baseline for further
research and large-scale conservation action. It will also allow re-estimation of regional
carrying capacity for green turtles.
17.570
NASA Airborne AVIRIS and DCS Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs
Liane GUILD* 1 , Brad LOBITZ 2 , Roy ARMSTRONG 3 , Fernando GILBES 4 , Art
GLEASON 5 , James GOODMAN 6 , Eric HOCHBERG 7 , Mark MONACO 8 , Randall
BERTHOLD 1 , Jeremy KERR 9
1 Earth Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 2 NASA
Ames Research Center, CSUMB Foundation, Moffett Field, CA, 3 Dept. of Marine
Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 4 Center for
Hemispherical Cooperation in Research and Education in Engineering and Applied
Science, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 5 RSMAS,
University of Miami, Miami, FL, 6 Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems,
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 7 Hawaii Institute of
Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, HI, 8 Biogeography Program, NOAA,
Silver Springs, MD, 9 Earth System Science and Policy, CSU Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA
Abstract – To adequately image through a water column and to delineate variation in
coral reef ecosystem benthic types, sensors having high spatial, e.g., a Cirrus digital
camera system (DCS), and spectral, e.g., the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging
Spectrometer (AVIRIS), resolution and high signal to noise are needed. Further, there is
a need to better understand the optical properties of coral reefs, seagrass, other benthic
types, and water column constituents from field-collected data so current and future
remote sensing can be optimized for coastal zone ecosystem research and management.
In August 2004, we flew the AVIRIS and DCS on a NASA ER-2 over the Florida Keys
and Puerto Rico. In March 2005, we flew AVIRIS/DCS on the Twin Otter over Kaneohe
Bay, Oahu. Also, in December 2005, we flew AVIRIS/DCS on the Twin Otter over
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands for assessment of the 2005 Caribbean coral reef
bleaching event. For each of these deployments, we collected coincident spectral data
from dominant bottom types and coral under various health conditions using a hand-held
spectroradiometer. These spectral data will be used to classify the benthic types within
the AVIRIS imagery. An overview of the airborne missions and coincident field data
collection for calibration and validation of the airborne remote sensing data will be
presented along with preliminary image and field-collected spectral data products.
17.571
NOAA Coral Reef Watch: Global Satellite Monitoring For Coral Bleaching Conditions
C. Mark EAKIN* 1 , Tyler R.L. CHRISTENSEN 2 , Dwight K. GLEDHILL 2 , Scott F. HERON 1 ,
Gang LIU 2 , Jessica A. MORGAN 2 , William J. SKIRVING 1 , Alan E. STRONG 1
1 NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Silver Spring, MD, 2 IMSG at NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Silver
Spring, MD
A variety of stressors, including biogeochemical, anthropological, weather, and climate, may
exert a critical influence on reef ecosystems and contribute to bleaching events and disease
outbreaks. Satellite-based observations can monitor, at a global scale, the environmental
conditions that influence both short-term and long-term coral reef ecosystem health. From
research to operations, NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) incorporates paleoclimatic, in situ,
and satellite-based biogeophysical data to provide information, tools, and expertise on coral reef
bleaching for managers, researchers, and stakeholders. CRW has developed an operational,
near-real-time product suite that includes sea surface temperature (SST), SST time series data,
SST anomaly charts, coral bleaching HotSpots, and Degree Heating Weeks (DHW). Bi-weekly
global SST analyses are based on operational nighttime-only SST at 50-km resolution with a
complementary satellite-derived maximum monthly mean (MMM) climatology. HotSpots
indicate areas experiencing thermal stress conducive to coral bleaching. Degree Heating Weeks
indicate the accumulation of HotSpots over time, where one DHW is equivalent to one week of
SSTs 1 degree C warmer than the expected summer-time maximum. DHWs can be considered
as a proxy for the amount and residence time of accumulated thermal stress; coral bleaching
becomes likely to occur at 4 DHWs, with widespread bleaching and some bleaching-related
mortality likely at 8 DHWs. Automated Satellite Bleaching Alerts (SBAs) notify managers of
changing conditions and are available at Virtual Stations around the world. All CRW products
can be accessed on the web at http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/.
17.572
Remote Sensing For Coral Mapping in Nha Trang Bay
Tong PHUOC HOANG SON 1 , Tong PHUOC HOANG SON* 2
1 GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Oceanography, Nha trang, Vietnam, 2 Institute of
Oceanography, Nhatrang, Vietnam
Nha trang Bay lie in co-ordinates from 109 o 20’ – 109 o 30’ E and 12 o 20’ – 12 o 30’ N. It is one
of most beautiful bay of the world where exist many coral reefs with high biodiversity and
recognize as a Marine Protected Area with title of Hon Mun MPA. Coral reefs in Nha Trang
usually exist in non-typical fringing reefs with 50 - 100m wide.
Base on satellite images such as Landsat ETM+, ASTER, SPOT5, AVNIR2 together with the
aerial photographs, the distribution of coral and underwater habitats in islands lie surrounding
Nha Trang have been detected. The method of calculation of “Depth Invariance Index – D.I.I”
is main method for detecting coral and other underwater habitats in Nha Trang Bay. Some
others by combination between satellite image with the aerial photographs such as fusion
method, spectral analysic have been used also.
Some results from difference methods, imageries sensors have been presented. The comparions
and the choice of best appropriate method also have been introduced. An assessment of history
evolution on the change of reef areas in some areas of Nha Trang Bay also have been
presented.
The results show that, the distributed area of coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay is about 200 ha
wide with seperated to some underwater habitats as hard coral, dead coral, algea, seagrass, rock,
sand, ... In present time, some areas of coral reef have been heavenly degradated and even
have been disapeared under effects of human activities such as tourism, construction and
unreasonable exploitations (bomb, poison, anchorage on the reefs,….). A functional zoning and
appropriate utility the coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay have been proposed.
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