This book provides extensive insight on remote sensing of coastal waters from aircraft and space-based platforms. The primary focus of the book is optical remote sensing using passive instruments, to measure and analyze the coastal aquatic environment. The authors have gathered information from a variety of sources, to help non-specialists grasp new techniques and technology, to quickly produce useful data

This work addresses the whole range of problems relating to the application of satellite technology to studies of regional seas and sea phenomona - the Gulf Stream, the Kuroshia Current - and coastal zones. It argues that to emphasize global applications is to fail to take into account fundamental idiosyncracies specific to the regional perspective. In addition, it describes implementation techniques - data gathering; in situ data assurance, algorithms for parameter retrieval; data storage; and data output.; The book contains satellite imagery and incorporates case studies from areas such as the Baltic and the Black Sea.

Modern Earth System Monitoring represents a fundamental change in the way scientists study the Earth System. In Oceanography, for the past two centuries, ships have provided the platforms for observing. Expeditions on the continents and Earth’s poles are land-based analogues. Fundamental understanding of current systems, climate, natural hazards, and ecosystems has been greatly advanced. While these approaches have been remarkably successful, the need to establish measurements over time can only be made using Earth observations and observatories with exacting standards and continuous data. The 19 peer-reviewed contributions in this volume provide early insights into this emerging view of Earth in both space and time in which change is a critical component of our growing understanding.

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. Audience 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.

This book was written to assist scientists, engineers, technicians and other resource managers in the evaluation of wetland boundaries and characteristics. Powerful tools - GIS, mapping, remote sensing - are described and demonstrated using practical applications and combined to yield landscape ecological data, and ecological risk assessments. Using numerous technical methods, Wetland Landscape Characterization shows you how to evaluate the presence of wetlands, and the stressors, exposures and ecological systems - streams, lakes, terrestial - that influence their condition. A vital component of the book is the variety of quality assurance/quality control and accuracy assessment techniques presented throughout the text. A thorough understanding of these methods is critical to the success of your project.