Assessment of coral reef ecosystems using EOS platforms and numerical ocean circulation models

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Assessment of coral reef ecosystemsusing EOS
platformsandnumerical ocean circulation models

• S. Andréfouët, F. Muller-Karger, C.S. Moses, L.
  Wang,
• C. Hu, C. Steinberg, J. Sheng, B. Hatcher, S.
  Ouillon, and
• P. Douillet, D. Palandro
• NASA Joint Workshop on Biodiversity
• August 21-25, 2006, College Park, MD

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Biodiversity of Coral Reefs

• Reefs fringe 15 of worlds coastlines
• Functional loss of coral reef area
• 600,000 km2 (1978)108,000 (2006)
• High biodiversity
• gt2,000 reef fishes
• gt800 species of corals
• 7 of corals and 27 of fish are endemic
• Roberts, et al., 2002
• 58 are threatened by human activities
• Ginsburg, et al., 1994
• 14-30 reef loss by 2050 due to climate
  variability
• Kleypas, et al., 1999

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Scale of Reef Science
Global coral reef distribution
Island and reef geomorphology
Community
Organism (coral colony)
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Coral Reef Remote Sensing

• Millennium Global Coral Reef Map L7/ETM
• Reef mapping
• Geomorphologycommunities, species
• Change detection
• Interdisciplinary Study (IDS)
• Model Inputs
• Climatology of land, ocean and weather conditions
  around reefs
• Understanding forcing of local water masses,
  circulation, temperature, sediments, etc.
• Model Outputs
• Forecasting biodiversity dynamics
• Connectivity, response to climate change

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Millennium Global Coral Reef Map
http//imars.usf.edu/corals/maps/reef_count.html
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Millennium Map Puerto Rico
Puerto-Rico SW La Parguera
Puerto-Rico SE Vieques
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Global Reef Area

• Previously
• 255,000 km2
• Spalding and Grenfell (1997)
• Millennium/L7
• 108,000 km2
• Andréfouët et al. (2006)

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Change Detection on Reefs
Carysfort Reef, Florida Keys
Landsat 7 ETM
IKONOS
(Palandro, et al, in prep)
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Change Detection on Reefs
1984
1994
2002
(Palandro, et al, in prep)
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USF/IMaRS IDS Regions

• Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
• Conservation priority (World Heritage site)
• Almost no data for model validation
• Larval transport and MPA decision support
• New Caledonia
• Large existing in situ data array
• High sedimentation and transport
• Hydro-sedimentary model improvements
• Great Barrier Reef
• Extensive previous work (World Heritage site)
• Improved bleaching model
• Using L7 to enhance spatial resolution and
  bathymetry

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Simulated Transport MBRS
Tang, et al (2006) JGR
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MBRS Model Validation
SeaWiFS
Model
3 Nov 1998
SeaWiFS
Model
14 Nov 1998
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Decision-support models

• Domain 943 x 25 km2 management planning units
• 23,575 km2 total
• Landsat-7 ETM
• Quantify 10 conservation features
• 27,225 pixels/unit

Beech, et al, in prep.
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Sediment Transport Model
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Sediment Model Validation
Model Tides Trade Winds (8 m/s)
Percent Mud (Debenay, et al., 1987)
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Models to Predict Bleaching

• SST patterns correlate well with observed
  bleaching
• Problem
• SST patterns are highly variable
• Approach
• Sub-reef scale circulation models based on
  bathymetry
• Combining in situ and remote sensing data

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Next Steps

• Develop applications
• Conservation biology / zonation
• Real-time sedimentation assessment
• Real-time bleaching assessments
• LDCM recommendations
• Minor modifications can make a revolution in
  coastal biodiversity research and coastal zone
  management
• At least one narrow (20 nm), sensitive blue-green
  band (443 nm)
• But ideally blue, blue-green, green and red
  bands (20 nm wide, 443, 490, 550, 670)
• Increase revisit time
• Lower costs of data access for U.S. investigators

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Landsat 7 ETM Bathymetry