The aquatic coastal zone is one of the most challenging targets for environmental remote sensing. Properties such as bottom reflectance, spectrally diverse suspended sediments and phytoplankton communities, diverse benthic communities, and transient events that affect surface reflectance (coastal blooms, runoff, etc.) all combine to produce an optical complexity not seen in terrestrial or open ocean systems. Despite this complexity, remote sensing is proving to be an invaluable tool for "Case 2" waters. This book presents recent advances in coastal remote sensing with an emphasis on applied science and management. Case studies of the operational use of remote sensing in ecosystem studies, monitoring, and interfacing remote sensing/science/management are presented. Spectral signatures of phytoplankton and suspended sediments are discussed in detail with accompanying discussion of why blue water (Case 1) algorithms cannot be applied to Case 2 waters.
Online you will find the WASI program by Peter Gege (DLR, Germany). The WASI program allows users to interactively manipulate and view coastally relevant spectra. Furthermore, full color images of a selection of illustrations which are printed as black and white figures in the book are also online.
This book is targeted for scientists and managers interested in using remote sensing in the study or management of aquatic coastal environments. With only limited discussion of optics and theory presented in the book, such researchers might benefit from the detailed presentations of aquatic spectral signatures, and to operational management issues. While not specifically written for remote sensing scientists, it will prove to be a useful reference for this community for the current status of aquatic coastal remote sensing.
List of Contributors.- Preface.- 1. Remote Sensing and the Science, Monitoring, and Management of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystems / Richardson, LeDrew.- Section I. Science Applications.- 2. Extreme Events and Perturbations of Coastal Ecosystems / Skirving, Strong, Liu, Arzayus, Liu Sapper.- 3. Optical Remote Sensing Techniques to Estimate Phytoplankton Chlorophyll A Concentrations in Coastal Waters with Varying Suspended Matter and Cdom Concentrations / Schalles.- 4. A Tool for Inverse Modeling of Spectral Measurements in Deep and Shallow Waters / Gege, Albert.- 5. Integration of Coral Reef Ecosystem Process Studies and Remote Sensing / Brock, Yates, Halley.- Section II. Monitoring Applications.- 6. Infrastructure and Capabilities of a Near Real-Time Meteorological and Oceanographic in Situ Instrumented Array, and its Role in Marine Environmental Decision Support / Hendee, Stabenau, Florit, Manzello, Jeffris.- 7. Airborne Laser Altimetry for Predictive Modeling of Coastal Storm-Surge Flooding / Webster, Forbes.- 8. Integration of New Data Types with Historical Archives to Provide Insight into Coastal Change and Variability / Gebelein.- Section III. Management Applications.- 9. Observing Coastal Waters with Spaceborne Sensors / Whitehouse, Hutt.- 10. The Role of Integrated Information Acquisition and Management in the Analysis of Coastal Ecosystem Change / Phinn, Joyce, Scarth, Roelfsema.- 11. Mapping of Coral Reefs for Management of Marine Protected Areas in Developing Nations Using Remote Sensing / Newman, LeDrew, Lim.- 12. Data Synthesis for Coastal and Coral Reef Ecosystem Management at Regional and Global Scales / Robinson, Andrefouet, Burke.- 13. Recommendations for Scientists and Managers for Application of Remote Sensing to Coastal Waters / LeDrew, Richardson.- Index.
From the reviews: "The objective is to introduce aquatic scientists and managers of coastal aquatic ecosystems to the possibilities of remote sensing techniques. ! The book is one of the rare collective works, in which the subject matter is so well integrated and presented by the editors. When this reviewer read in the introduction that the editors suggest the book can be used as a resource manual, he did not believe the assumption at first. However, he now believes this to be quiet true." (Geomatica, Vol. 61 (3), 2007)