Mapping Environmental Stress in Elkhorn Slough, Central California Using Hyperspectral Data: A Management tool For An At-Risk COastal Ecosystem

摘要

Coastal zones contain some of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. Over half of the world's current population, and much of its expected increase, also inhabits these coastal regions, exploiting their plentiful resources. ALong with increased anthroupogenicactivity comes increasing impacts and biological stress in coastal and shallow marines ecological systems. To sustain development while decreasing loss of natural resources in these areas, it is necessary to monitor ongoing development and its effect through efficient environmental management practices. Collecting comprehensive data about the extent of resources and impacts, and having the ability to document temporal changes in these areas, are essential requirements for successful management and planning. We are using recent innovations in processing techniques of hyperspectral data to identify and map environmental stress in vegetation found around the terrestrial-aquatic interface of Elkhorn Slough in central California.