Resource management of dynamic coastal environments using synoptic measures from remote sensing

In addition to providing vital ecological services, coastal areas of North Carolina provide prized areas for habitation,recreation, and commercial fisheries. However, from a management perspective, the coasts of North Carolina arehighly variable and complex. In-water constituents such as nutrients, suspended sediments, and chlorophyll aconcentration can vary significantly over a broad spectrum of time and space scales. Rapid growth and land-usechange continue to exert pressure on coastal lands. Coastal environments are also very vulnerable to short-term (e.g.,hurricanes) and long-term (e.g., sea-level rise) natural changes that can result in significant loss of life, economic loss, or changes in coastal ecosystem functioning. Hence, the dynamic nature, effects of human-induced change over time, and vulnerability of coastal areas make it difficult to effectively monitor and manage these important state and national resources using traditional data collection technologies such as discrete monitoring stations and field surveys. In general, these approaches provide only a sparse network of data over limited time and space scales and generally are expensive and labor-intensive.Products derived from spectral images obtained by remote sensing instruments provide a unique vantage point fromwhich to examine the dynamic nature of coastal environments. A primary advantage of remote sensing is that the altitude of observation provides a large-scale synoptic view relative to traditional field measurements. Equallyimportant, the use of remote sensing for a broad range of research and environmental applications is now commondue to major advances in data availability, data transfer, and computer technologies. To facilitate the widespread useof remote sensing products in North Carolina, the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI) is developing thecapability to acquire, process, and analyze remotely sensed data from several remote sensing instruments. Inparticular, UNC-CSI is developing regional remote sensing algorithms to examine the mobilization, transport,transformation, and fate of materials between coupled terrestrial and coastal ocean systems. To illustrate this work, we present the basic principles of remote sensing of coastal waters in the context of deriving information thatsupports efficient and effective management of coastal resources. (PDF contains 4 pages)

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. EPA Coastal Management Branch

U.S. Geolgocial Survey

NOAA Sea Grant