Table 15.2
Capabilities of current types of remote sensing platforms to be used for various coral reef remote sensing applications
Platform
Boat
Aircraft
Satellite
Sensor type
Acoustic Laser Laser Hyperspectral
Aerial photograph Multispectral
(high res)
Multispectral
(med res)
Multispectral
(low res)
Radiometer
(low res)
Example of sensor
Roxanne
Lidar CASI, HyMap
Ikonos,
QuickBird
Landsat, SPOT SeaWiFs,
MODIS
AVHRR
Coral species
Coral & algal cover
H
H
H
H
Reef community
H
?
?
H
H
H
Occurrence of bleaching
?
?
H?
H
H
?
Structural complexity
H
H
H
H
H
Reef geomorphology
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Habitat diversity
H
H
Community structure
change detection
H
H
H
H
?
Location of reefal habitat
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Bathymetry
H
H
H
H
?
H
H
H
?
Water quality (e.g., chl a)
a
H
H
H
Sea surface temperature
H
H
H
indicates routine use; H?
indicates few examples to date; ? indicates possible but untested (adapted from Mumby et al. 2004a)
a
Note that multispectral sensors cannot be used to map chlorophyll a concentrations in turbid, coastal environments
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