Open AccessMapping the world's coral reefs using a global multiscale earth observation framework
Author(s) -
B. Lyons Mitchell,
M. Roelfsema Chris,
V. Kennedy Emma,
M. Kovacs Eva,
BorregoAcevedo Rodney,
Markey Kathryn,
Roe Meredith,
M. Yuwono Doddy,
L. Harris Daniel,
R. Phinn Stuart,
Asner Gregory P.,
Li Jiwei,
E. Knapp David,
S. Fabiicholas,
Larsen Kirk,
Traganos Dimosthenis,
J. Murray Nicholas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
remote sensing in ecology and conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.191
H-Index - 21
ISSN - 2056-3485
DOI - 10.1002/rse2.157
Subject(s) - coral reef , reef , coral , remote sensing , coral reef organizations , benthic zone , range (aeronautics) , resilience of coral reefs , environmental science , ecosystem , atoll , oceanography , geography , environmental resource management , geology , coral reef protection , ecology , materials science , composite material , biology
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and iconic ecosystems on Earth, but a range of anthropogenic pressures are threatening their persistence. Owing to their remoteness, broad spatial coverage and cross‐jurisdictional locations, there are no high‐resolution remotely sensed maps available at the global scale. Here we present a framework that is capable of mapping coral reef habitats from individual reefs (~200 km 2 ) to entire barrier reef systems (200 000 km 2 ) and across vast ocean extents (>6 000 000 km 2 ). This is the first time this has been demonstrated using a consistent and transparent remote sensing mapping framework. The ten maps that we present achieved good accuracy (78% mean overall accuracy) from multiple input image datasets and training data sources, and our framework was shown to be adaptable to either benthic or geomorphic reef features and across diverse coral reef environments. These new generation high‐resolution map data will be useful for supporting ecosystem risk assessments, detecting change in ecosystem dynamics and targeting efforts to monitor local‐scale changes in coral cover and reef health.