213
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_13
Chapter 13
Pictures from Space and Feet in the Mud:
Understanding the Value of the World’s
Changing Mangrove Forests
David Lagomasino
Abstract Mangrove forests line the coast of low-lying tropical shores. These habitats provide many types of ecosystem services that help protect and sustain communities around the world. Many of these locations are extremely difficult to get to,
but we can use pictures taken from satellites in space to help us see where our coasts
are changing, even in the most remote places. Using a combination of satellite
imagery and ground information we can make regional and global estimates of the
health and the structure of mangrove forests around the world. However, to make
sure these estimates are accurate we need to visit these locations and make measurements on the ground. Our visits to these sites, with help from our in-country partners at universities and government agencies, can be difficult, fun, and enlightening
all at the same time. We may have different objectives, but we all have the same
goal, to sustain our coasts and the natural habitats within.
Keywords Philippines · Gabon · Tanzania · Mangroves · Remote sensing ·
Satellites · Drones · Community support
What I Do for a Living
Studying coastal change requires you to get out and see the changes happening firsthand. If you live on the coast, like I do on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I see
a coastline that is different every day. But in my day to day life, I may only see one
small section of the coast and miss out on many other locations where things are
changing. To help fill those gaps, the areas that we don’t see every day, I use remote
sensing data. Remote sensing is the short way to explain what it means to collect
data without physically taking a measurement or collecting a sample in person.
D. Lagomasino (*)
Department of Coastal Studies, East Carolina University, Wanchese, NC, USA
e-mail: lagomasinod19@ecu.edu
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. J. Culver (ed.), Troubled Waters, Springer Climate,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52383-1_13
Chapter 13
Pictures from Space and Feet in the Mud:
Understanding the Value of the World’s
Changing Mangrove Forests
David Lagomasino
Abstract Mangrove forests line the coast of low-lying tropical shores. These habitats provide many types of ecosystem services that help protect and sustain communities around the world. Many of these locations are extremely difficult to get to,
but we can use pictures taken from satellites in space to help us see where our coasts
are changing, even in the most remote places. Using a combination of satellite
imagery and ground information we can make regional and global estimates of the
health and the structure of mangrove forests around the world. However, to make
sure these estimates are accurate we need to visit these locations and make measurements on the ground. Our visits to these sites, with help from our in-country partners at universities and government agencies, can be difficult, fun, and enlightening
all at the same time. We may have different objectives, but we all have the same
goal, to sustain our coasts and the natural habitats within.
Keywords Philippines · Gabon · Tanzania · Mangroves · Remote sensing ·
Satellites · Drones · Community support
What I Do for a Living
Studying coastal change requires you to get out and see the changes happening firsthand. If you live on the coast, like I do on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I see
a coastline that is different every day. But in my day to day life, I may only see one
small section of the coast and miss out on many other locations where things are
changing. To help fill those gaps, the areas that we don’t see every day, I use remote
sensing data. Remote sensing is the short way to explain what it means to collect
data without physically taking a measurement or collecting a sample in person.
D. Lagomasino (*)
Department of Coastal Studies, East Carolina University, Wanchese, NC, USA
e-mail: lagomasinod19@ecu.edu