Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.

Coral bleaching events have become more frequent and intense worldwide and speculated to be a severe threat for coral survival in future. The Persian Gulf, as one of the warmest seas, has also experienced coral mortalities and bleaching events. Historically, bleaching events are known to occur south...

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Main Authors: Pradhan, Biswajeet, Kabiri, Keivan, Samimi-Namin, Kaveh, Moradib, Masoud
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/1/Detecting%20coral%20bleaching.pdf
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author Pradhan, Biswajeet
Kabiri, Keivan
Samimi-Namin, Kaveh
Moradib, Masoud
author_facet Pradhan, Biswajeet
Kabiri, Keivan
Samimi-Namin, Kaveh
Moradib, Masoud
author_sort Pradhan, Biswajeet
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Coral bleaching events have become more frequent and intense worldwide and speculated to be a severe threat for coral survival in future. The Persian Gulf, as one of the warmest seas, has also experienced coral mortalities and bleaching events. Historically, bleaching events are known to occur south of the Persian Gulf, such information is scarce in the northern side. Perhaps remoteness and inaccessibility to Iran main coral communities which have developed on offshore islands can explain such lack of data. To address this issue, the feasibility of using multi-temporal satellite images for detecting past bleaching events were investigated. Two QuickBird images (2005, 2008) were selected to detect 2007 bleaching event at Kish Island, Iran, and the accuracy of results were compared to in situ observations. Current study might represent “algae-challenged” scenario in terms of having 7 months' time lapse between bleaching event and post-bleaching satellite image. As a result of this, we had algae-covered corals instead of white bleached corals. In the proposed procedure pre and post-bleaching images were classified, and changes in reflectance values within coral classes were interpreted as bleaching areas. By using this method we could eliminate the effect of miss-classification between bleached corals and sand; as well as algae-covered corals and live corals. Furthermore, it is not necessary to have a post-bleaching image acquired during bleaching events, although having such image will increase the accuracy. The proposed technique detected ∼28% of bleached corals and the results support the idea that coral bleaching can be distinguished by detecting the changes in reflectance values in pre and post-bleaching images. Understanding the occurrence, severity, and extent of past bleaching events may help us understand the population dynamics of Iran corals and reveal coral connectivity patterns in the Persian Gulf.
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spelling upm-284692015-10-28T03:54:30Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/ Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf. Pradhan, Biswajeet Kabiri, Keivan Samimi-Namin, Kaveh Moradib, Masoud Coral bleaching events have become more frequent and intense worldwide and speculated to be a severe threat for coral survival in future. The Persian Gulf, as one of the warmest seas, has also experienced coral mortalities and bleaching events. Historically, bleaching events are known to occur south of the Persian Gulf, such information is scarce in the northern side. Perhaps remoteness and inaccessibility to Iran main coral communities which have developed on offshore islands can explain such lack of data. To address this issue, the feasibility of using multi-temporal satellite images for detecting past bleaching events were investigated. Two QuickBird images (2005, 2008) were selected to detect 2007 bleaching event at Kish Island, Iran, and the accuracy of results were compared to in situ observations. Current study might represent “algae-challenged” scenario in terms of having 7 months' time lapse between bleaching event and post-bleaching satellite image. As a result of this, we had algae-covered corals instead of white bleached corals. In the proposed procedure pre and post-bleaching images were classified, and changes in reflectance values within coral classes were interpreted as bleaching areas. By using this method we could eliminate the effect of miss-classification between bleached corals and sand; as well as algae-covered corals and live corals. Furthermore, it is not necessary to have a post-bleaching image acquired during bleaching events, although having such image will increase the accuracy. The proposed technique detected ∼28% of bleached corals and the results support the idea that coral bleaching can be distinguished by detecting the changes in reflectance values in pre and post-bleaching images. Understanding the occurrence, severity, and extent of past bleaching events may help us understand the population dynamics of Iran corals and reveal coral connectivity patterns in the Persian Gulf. 2013 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/1/Detecting%20coral%20bleaching.pdf Pradhan, Biswajeet and Kabiri, Keivan and Samimi-Namin, Kaveh and Moradib, Masoud (2013) Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science , 117. 273-281 . ISSN 0272-7714 10.1016/j.ecss.2012.12.006 English
spellingShingle Pradhan, Biswajeet
Kabiri, Keivan
Samimi-Namin, Kaveh
Moradib, Masoud
Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title_full Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title_fullStr Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title_full_unstemmed Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title_short Detecting coral bleaching, using QuickBird multi-temporal data: A feasibility study at Kish Island, the Persian Gulf.
title_sort detecting coral bleaching, using quickbird multi-temporal data: a feasibility study at kish island, the persian gulf.
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28469/1/Detecting%20coral%20bleaching.pdf