Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs in the Hawaiian Islands

This research project focuses on the use of hyperspectral remote sensing as a tool to efficiently assess and monitor coral reef communities. Concern over the health of coral reef communities has greatly intensified in recent years, particularly with regard to the complex dynamics of global change. The synoptic spatial and temporal monitoring capabilities of remote sensing systems provide a valuable avenue for evaluating the impacts of global change on this valuable ecosystem. Hyperspectral imagery acquired over the Hawaiian Islands in the spring of 2000 by NASA's Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), with 224 contiguous spectral channels, will be used to develop, apply and evaluate algorithms for analyzing coral reefs using remote sensing data. The primary analysis will be conducted in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu and subsequent application of the resulting analysis tools will focus on portions of the recently established Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve (NHICRER).

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Goodman, J., and S. Ustin. 2001. Hyperspectral image analysis of coral reefs in the Hawaiian Islands. in Tenth JPL Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Workshop. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. PPT Format.

Goodman, J., and S. Ustin. 2001. Assessment and Monitoring of Coral Reefs in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing. in Second Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology, San Francisco, CA. PPT Format.