Seafloor Mapping along Continental Shelves: Research and Techniques for Visualizing Benthic Environments

297 Pages·2016·45.71 MB·English

by  Charles W. Finkl

Coastal Research Library 13
Charles W. Finkl
Christopher Makowski Editors
Seafloor Mapping
along Continental
Shelves
Research and Techniques for Visualizing
Benthic Environments
Coastal Research Library
Volume 13
Series Editor
Charles W. Finkl
Department of Geosciences
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
The aim of this book series is to disseminate information to the coastal research community.
The Series covers all aspects of coastal research including but not limited to relevant aspects
of geological sciences, biology (incl. ecology and coastal marine ecosystems), geomorphology
(physical geography), climate, littoral oceanography, coastal hydraulics, environmental
(resource) management, engineering, and remote sensing. Policy, coastal law, and relevant
issues such as confl ict resolution and risk management would also be covered by the Series.
The scope of the Series is broad and with a unique crossdisciplinary nature. The Series would
tend to focus on topics that are of current interest and which carry some import as opposed to
traditional titles that are esoteric and non-controversial. Monographs as well as contributed
volumes are welcomed.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8795
Charles W. Finkl (cid:129) C hristopher Makowski
Editors
Seafl oor Mapping along
Continental Shelves
Research and Techniques for Visualizing
Benthic Environments
Editors
Charles W. Finkl Christopher Makowski
Coastal Education and Research Coastal Education and Research
Foundation (CERF) Foundation (CERF)
Fletcher , NC , USA Coconut Creek , FL , USA
Department of Geosciences
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton , FL , USA
ISSN 2211-0577 ISSN 2211-0585 (electronic)
Coastal Research Library
ISBN 978-3-319-25119-6 ISBN 978-3-319-25121-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-25121-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016933027
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
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Pref ace
This volume in the C oastal Research Library (CRL) deals with the visualization of coastal
shelf environments as derived from various remote sensing techniques. Platforms for the
remote sensing apparatuses range from satellites and aircraft to ships and autonomous under-
water vehicles. Of interest here is not the remote sensing platform or actual device for acquit-
ting data remotely, but the results or products that are used to visualize and interpret coastal
shelf environments from onshore to deeper waters. The range of remotely sensed data is from
shoreward subaerial, estuarine, and intertidal realms (e.g., dunes, spits and bars, and man-
groves) to offshore seafl oor surface and shallow subsurface conditions. In addition to land
surfaces, seafl oors, and subfl oor geology, aspects of the water column itself are also included,
as, for example, the visualization of water quality and marine soundscape ecology that permits
underwater mapping via bioacoustics.
B ecause this book focuses on the visualization of coastal shelf environments, imagery is
critical to the discussions and in fact is the basis of the presentation. Such being the case, our
volume is produced in a larger format style to facilitate viewing of the various types of remotely
sensed imagery. Most of the images reproduced here have been enhanced in one way or another
to facilitate viewing and perception of desired properties or objects being observed. Of particu-
lar interest are the many different ways of obtaining images that convey a comprehensible
visualization of coastal shelf conditions or environments. The production of comprehendible
visualizations in the form of various types of imagery is critical to proper understanding of
coastal shelf environments. One of the purposes of this volume therefore is to show a range of
visualizations that can be derived from remote sensing and to show how this information is
used in practical ways for environmental studies or exploration of natural resources.
The 11 chapters in this book are organized into three parts that focus initially on the devel-
opment of modern seafl oor mapping and then consider remotely sensed biological and physi-
cal surveys of coasts and seafl oors, viz., Part I, Historical Development of Seafl oor Mapping
and Survey; Part II, Environmental/Biological Survey of Coastal and Shelf Environments; and
Part III, Physical Surveys of Coasts and Seafl oor Exploration on Continental Shelves. This
tripartite grouping of chapters is, of course, artifi cial and only an attempt to organize the mate-
rial in a cogent manner. It is hoped that this organization will facilitate increased understanding
of the development of seafl oor mapping and inculcate an appreciation for the wide manner by
which visualization of remotely sensed data is utilized.
P art I includes one chapter (“History of Modern Seafl oor Mapping”) that introduces the
scope and context of the book where Christopher Makowski and Charles W. Finkl provide
some insight into advances in seafl oor mapping techniques over the past century. Although not
all-inclusive, this chapter highlights some of the major advances in seafl oor mapping. Of par-
ticular interest here are the various types of visualizations that can be interpreted from airborne
laser bathymetry to identify a wide range of geomorphic features on the coast and seafl oor.
Part II contains fi ve chapters that generally deal with remote sensing techniques for the
ecological visualization of coastal marine environments along continental shelves. Chapter 2
(“Seafl oor Mapping Along Continental Shelves: Research and Techniques for Visualizing
Benthic Environments”), by Vanessa L. Lucieer and Alexander L. Forrest, introduces remote
v
vi Preface
sensing imagery acquired by autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This overview reports
that these untethered underwater robots can acquire imagery and actual physical, biological,
and chemical samples. Chapter 3 (“Remote Sensing Technologies for the Assessment of
Marine and Coastal Ecosystems”), by Francisco Gutierres, Ana Cláudia Teodoro, Eusébio
Reis, Carlos Neto, and José Carlos Costa, reviews remote sensing (RS) technologies that are
appropriate for marine and coastal ecosystem research and management. Included here are
images that are used to show ranges of water quality in coastal waters, presence of river plumes,
estuarine/coastal sandy bodies, beach features/patterns, and changes and integrity (health) of
coastal lagoon habitats. Chapter 4 (“A Review of Remote Sensing Techniques for the
Visualization of Mangroves, Reefs, Fishing Grounds, and Molluscan Settling Areas in Tropical
Waters”), by Thankam Theresa Paul, Dennis A., and Grinson George, analyzes various appli-
cations of satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling for identifi cation and mapping of
mangroves, coral reefs, and fi shing and molluscan grounds in coastal marine ecosystems via
some case studies and illustrations. Victor V. Klemas in Chap. 5 (“Remote Sensing of
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation”) reports that multispectral and hyperspectral imagers, LiDAR,
and radar systems are available for the mapping of coastal marshes, submerged aquatic vegeta-
tion (SAV), coral reefs, beach profi les, water turbidity, chlorophyll concentration, and eutro-
phication. Here, Vic Klemas shows that by using a time series of images, scientists are then
able to visualize the health of submerged aquatic vegetation, along with other coastal ecosys-
tems, and determine long-term trends and short-term changes. Chapter 6 (“Combining
Cetacean Soundscape Ecology and Niche Modeling to Contribute in the Mapping of the
Brazilian Continental Shelf”), by Marcos R. Rossi-Santos and Guilherme de Oliveira, intro-
duces marine soundscape ecology through a cetacean study perspective. Underwater mapping
is visualized here in terms of bioacoustics, photo-video recordings, GIS, and behavioral
observations.
Part III consists of fi ve chapters that, respectively, deal with visualization of shelf geomor-
phology, subbottom geological features, monitoring aggregate dredging, imaging of optically
deep water environments, and terrestrial coastal environments. Peter Harris and Miles
Macmillan-Lawler in Chap. 7 (“Global Overview of Continental Shelf Geomorphology Based
on the SRTM30_PLUS 30-Arc Second Database”) discuss multivariate analysis of geomor-
phic features occurring on the global continental shelf that were mapped based on the Shuttle
Radar Topography Mapping (SRTM30_PLUS) 30-arc second database. Multivariate analysis
of geomorphic features occurring on the continental shelf showed that eight morphotypes cap-
ture the main spatial differences on a global basis. The eight morphotypes are grouped into
four broad categories: narrow/shallow shelves; wide-fl at shelves; deep-glaciated shelves; and
intermediate shelves. Chapter 8 (“Seismic Profi ling of the Seabottom for Shallow Geological
and Geotechnical Investigations”), by Leszek J. Kasubowski, discusses the analysis of differ-
ent refl ective levels, the nature of the borderlines of refl ective horizons, and their relative clar-
ity and angles. He then correlates between seismoacoustic materials and geology of the
adjacent land area, based on the use of geological maps and drilling cores from the coastal
zone, taking into account the lithology, stratigraphy, and depth of occurrence of certain refl ec-
tive levels and the surface of angular discordance. This procedure permits initial presentation
of bedrock structures and correlates sub-Quaternary surface and the lithological composition
of deposits. In a similar geological context, Dafydd Lloyd Jones, Robert Langman, Ian Reach,
John Gribble, and Nigel Griffi ths in Chap. 9 (“Using Multibeam and Side-Scan Sonar to
Monitor Aggregate Dredging”) deployed multibeam data to show bathymetric changes that
resulted from aggregate extraction limited to the direct footprint of dredging. Side-scan sonar
data showed no changes in the overall interpretation when comparing datasets from 2009 to
2013. Chapter 1 0 (“Landscape-Level Imaging of Benthic Environments in Optically Deep
Waters”), by Roy A. Armstrong, shows how high-resolution optical data from AUV and ROV
sensors can provide unprecedented visual information on the community structure and condi-
tion of deeper zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate coral reefs. These high-resolution benthic
images, when analyzed quantitatively, provide estimates of fi sh abundance and the use of the
Preface vii
habitat. For mesophotic and deep coral ecosystems, AUV benthic assessments provide essential
information for selecting areas of high biodiversity and structural complexity for habitat pro-
tection and management. The last chapter (“Terrestrial Laser Scanner Techniques for
Enhancement in Understanding of Coastal Environments”), by Iain Fairley, Tony Thomas,
Michael Phillips, and Dominic Reeve, provides a review of the state of the art of the use of
terrestrial laser scanners in coastal environments, with particular attention paid to the use of
data abundance to derive additional information beyond morphology. Terrestrial laser scanner
techniques can be used to produce high-resolution morphological maps that in turn facilitate
interpretation of sediment type, surface roughness, surface moisture, and vegetation cover as
inferred from the point density and additional parameters.
Although remote sensing data is amenable to numerical processing, modulation, and
manipulation, in the fi nal analysis it must produce a product that is visually informative. The
visual aspect of remote sensing is achieved in the imagery, which is usually enhanced in some
way for perceptual clarity and understanding. In this book we have tried to show a range of
methods or techniques for acquiring coastal marine data (e.g., acoustic analysis in soundscape
ecology, aerial photography, airborne laser topography and bathymetry, autonomous underwa-
ter vehicles, echo sounder and seismic refl ection, radar systems, satellite imagery, Shuttle
Radar Topography Mapping, side-scan sonar) that can be visualized in various ways.
Visualization of the remote sensing data allows the user to interpret what is detected by instru-
mentation. The resulting imagery is an approximation of Nature that when presented in com-
prehendible ways enables researchers to better understand what cannot be seen with the naked
eye. Because remote sensing imagery sometimes has artistic value, it is our hope and desire
that readers will better appreciate the advantages of acquiring remote sensing data for practical
purposes. Whether the imagery is aesthetic or not, the visual portrayal of remote sensing data
helps to synthesize the complexity of Nature into meaningful terms. We thus hope that this
book, with its lavish illustrations, will not only be informative but enjoyable as well.
Fletcher , NC , USA Charles W. Finkl
Coconut Creek , FL , USA Christopher Makowski

Contents
Part I Historical Development of Seafl oor Mapping and Survey
1 History of Modern Seafl oor Mapping ................................................................... 3
Christopher Makowski and Charles W. Finkl
Part II Environmental/Biological Survey of Coastal and Shelf Environments
2 Emerging Mapping Techniques for Autonomous
Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) .................................................................................. 53
Vanessa L. Lucieer and Alexander L. Forrest
3 Remote Sensing Technologies for the Assessment
of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems ........................................................................ 69
Francisco Gutierres , Ana Cláudia Teodoro , Eusébio Reis ,
Carlos Neto , and José Carlos Costa
4 A Review of Remote Sensing Techniques for the Visualization
of Mangroves, Reefs, Fishing Grounds,
and Molluscan Settling Areas in Tropical Waters ................................................ 105
Thankam Theresa Paul , A. Dennis , and G rinson George
5 Remote Sensing of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ............................................. 125
Victor V. Klemas
6 Combining Cetacean Soundscape Ecology and Niche Modeling
to Contribute in the Mapping of the Brazilian Continental Shelf ...................... 141
Marcos R. Rossi-Santos and Guilherme de Oliveira
Part III Physical Surveys of Coasts and Seafloor
Exploration on Continental Shelves
7 Global Overview of Continental Shelf Geomorphology
Based on the SRTM30_PLUS 30-Arc Second Database ..................................... 169
Peter T. Harris and Miles Macmillan-Lawler
8 Seismic Profi ling of the Seabottoms for Shallow
Geological and Geotechnical Investigations ......................................................... 191
Leszek J. Kaszubowski
9 Using Multibeam and Sidescan Sonar
to Monitor Aggregate Dredging ............................................................................. 245
Dafydd Lloyd Jones , Robert Langman , Ian Reach ,
John Gribble , and Nigel Griffi ths
ix