Integrated remote sensing and GIS approach for mapping coral reef health in response to climate change

Abstract

Coral reefs are some of the most valuable and highly biodiverse marine ecosystems. However, they continue to be negatively affected by climate change, increasing sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, extreme weather, and other factors. Monitoring the health of coral reef systems is critical for informing conservation and management strategies needed to improve the situation. This study focuses on developing an integrated Remote Sensing and GIS approach to assess and map coral reef health under climate change stressors. The study uses high-resolution satellite images from Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 alongside in situ data for corroboration. Spectral indices and supervised classification distinguished between healthy, bleached, and degraded reefs. At the same time, GIS tools analyzed sea surface temperature anomalies and pollution sources near reef locations. The spatial distribution of coral reef health maps provides information on the degree of resilience, degradation, and prioritization needed for intervention using conservation strategies. Combining these two approaches demonstrates that remote sensing and GIS can effectively monitor coral reef ecosystems at reduced expense and within controlled timeframes. With the increasing impacts of climate change, the research results can guide the decision-making process for protecting reefs. They can also help defend other vulnerable marine habitats worldwide, thus serving as an example framework.