# Presentation: 042685

## Workshop on Regional Remote Sensing Needs:  Preliminary Report

- October 3-5, 2006
- University of New Hampshire
- Sponsored by:  NOAA, NASA, Ocean US and NFRA

## Overview

- Steering Committee:  Janet Campbell, Mary Culver, Dave Foley, Roger Gauthier, Paul DiGiacomo,Eric Lindstrom, Tom Malone, John Malay and Stan Wilson
- NASA and NOAA wanted to know regional needs for coastal satellite remote sensing
- 2 representatives from each RA
- RA survey of user needs for satellite RS in the context of IOOS:
- Who are the users,
- How are they accessing information
- For what purposes
- What are the challenges for meeting needs:
- Knowledge challenges
- Resolution/Coverage
- Integration/IT
- Continuity
- Short and long term recommendations  for fulfilling gaps

## Slide 3

|  | Users | Purpose | Information |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Managers |  |  |  |
|    Federal | Coast Guard  | Search and Rescue; Homeland Security   | Real-time currents, winds, waves for search and rescue models; Real-time conditions for rescue; vessel tracking;  |
|  | Navy Security | Homeland security | Real-time conditions; vessel tracking; tracking of aerosols; Ice maps |
|  | NOAA-ports, navigation | Navigation safety | Surveying, bathymetry, water levels |
|  | NOAA- NMFS | Fish response to environmental conditions;  ecosystem-based management; hypoxia events | Pattern/front identification;  |
|    State | Public Health Managers  |  |  |
|  |       Water Quality | Pollution detection; monitoring | Water quality status (nutrient loading; pathogens, suspended solids) Pollution detection (oil, debris) Plume tracking (river, discharges) |
|  |        Shellfish sanitation | Consumer protection | Water quality status (nutrients, pathogens, suspended solids); Early warning for HAB events |
|  |        Beaches | Safe swimming | Water quality status (particularly pathogen); early warning of pathogens or other pollutants. |
|  | Emergency Response Managers |  |  |
|  |        Spills |  Protection of resources, emergency preparation and response  | Benthic habitats (present state, change, and impact analysis). Early warning of storm events; assimulation of data into response models; real-time ocean conditions and marine weather for response |
|  |         Natural event response (storms, flooding, sea level rise) | Prediction of impacts, emergency planning and response | Benthic habitats; inundation models and maps; forecast of effects of sea level on habitat, coastal development.   |
|  | Tourism Officials | Beach closures; storm events | Water quality standards; early warning of storm or pollution events |
|  | Environmental Manager | Habitat protection, 
Pollution detection | Benthic habitats; coastal circulation patterns; pollution detection; impacts of sea level rise; indices and thresholds for management response (water quality, hypoxia, upwelling) |
|  | Coastal Managers | Dredging, disposal and monitoring of dredge material; energy siting;
Hazard mitigation, 
Cumulative impact of coastal development | Benthic habitats; ocean patterns and circulation; ocean conditions and marine weather; inundation maps, shoreline topography; land cover and land change |
|  | Fisheries Managers | Fish response to environmental conditions; Aquaculture siting | Benthic habitats; seasonal patterns and front identification; bathymetry and nearshore topography; ecosystem models. |
| Local  |  |  |  |
|  | Emergency managers | Planning and response for spill events, storm events | Bathymetry and nearshore topography; land cover and change detection; habitat; ocean conditions; marine weather; Event predictions; inundation maps;  |

## Common Needs across Regions

**Nowcasts ** (present/real-time accurate and absolute values)
- Ocean Conditions (wave direction, wave height, currents, temperature, wind, salinity, biological water quality) for navigation, fisheries, aquaculture
- Marine weather (wind, pressure, dew pt., water vapor, precip, temp)
**Long Term Trends and Change Detection **
- Short-term and seasonal forecasts (wind, weather, sea state, eddies)
- Patterns/front identification (present and forecast states)
- Trends in environmental conditions over time
- Plume tracking
- Vessel monitoring (fisheries, homeland security, protected areas, insurance)
**Early Warning Capacity**
- For events such as HABs, flooding, erosion, ice coverage
- Data assimilation for forecast models for HABs, storm surge, erosion, ice maps ( type, concentration, thickness, movement)
- Coastal circulation
**Indices and thresholds for management purposes **
- Water quality status (HABs, nutrient loading, pathogens, suspended sediment)
- Wetland restoration – soil moisture
- Land cover and change detection
- Benthic habitat (present state, change, and impact analysis)
- Bathymetry and nearshore topography (present state and change)
- Raw data for research and models (SST, radiances, ...)
- Dust/ash/aerosols in the atmosphere (vertical profiles)
- Cumulative effects of coastal development on inshore habitats
- Impacts of sea level rise (forecast effects on habitat, inundation maps)
- Pollution detection (e.g. oil, debris )
**Education and visualization products **
- Curriculum units that are packaged w/curriculum to meet teaching standards
- Inundation maps and forecasts
- Habitat mapping

## Gaps:  Resolution and Data Management

- Gaps:  Resolution/Coverage
- More, closer, better
- See through clouds
- Gaps:  Data Management
- Web-based tools to apply algorithms, format, and project imagery (e.g. build-on OGC standards)
- Accessible data for broad base of users
- Need user-friendly interface
- Ability for data integration by non-experts

## Slide 6

| Types of Uses | Knowledge Gaps |
| --- | --- |
| Fisheries and aquaculture | Satellite use in identifying habitats and understanding fish behavior 
Improved seasonal and shorter-time frame fisheries forecasts 
Regional algorithms for turbidity (NTU, TSS, light availability) and interpretation of imagery
Ecology and physiology of  HAB species 
Satellite use in understanding ecosystem processes and links between physics and biology, including trophic levels
Relationship between ocean color and phytoplankton composition 
Differentiation between human impacts (e.g. overfishing) and natural variability of habitat change  |
| Water quality | Effect of land use on water quality 
Relationship between satellite measurements and water quality parameters (including nutrients) 
Differentiation between human impacts and natural variability in water quality 
Incorporation f contaminant transport into improved circulation models
Improved, localized atmospheric correction of satellite imagery |
| Inundation | Precise, accurate estimates of the spatial and temporal variability of sea level rise
Comprehensive land use and resource mapping for a region
Accurate delineation of shoreline
Accurate and comprehensive topographic and bathymetric data
Local and regional forecast models for inundation |
| Search and rescue | Ship identification from satellite 
High resolution nowcasts and forecasts for circulation and sea state  |
| Homeland security | Ship identification from satellite
Detection of biological hazards or disturbances in imagery |
| Shipping and navigation | Ship identification from satellite
Rapid delivery of real-time sea state characterization to ships 
Technology and algorithms to routinely and accurately determine ice thickness and type, position, concentration, and movement
High resolution, precise, and accurate detection of coastal currents |
| Oil and gas | Acoustic effects on marine mammals
Spatial and temporal variability in benthic habitats
Slick detection, transport, potential for dispersal
Technology and algorithms to routinely determine ice thickness and type, position, concentration, movement
Forecasts for storm events and impacts on oil and gas infrastructure
Detection of internal waves and understanding of the impacts |
| Education | Visualization techniques for displaying complex data
Effective techniques for information dissemination
Satellite oceanography and ocean observation curricula that satisfy state standards 
Translation of scientific knowledge into education (learning about learning) |

##  Gaps: Continuity

- Source:   CEOS/GCOS Task Team Assessment

## Preliminary Recommendations

**Maintain existing capabilities**
- Increase resolution and bring measurements from open ocean to littoral zone
- Spatial scale of 100 meter resolution is necessary, except for mapping which requires resolutions of 30 meters or less.
- Temporal resolution of  between 1-3 hours
- Spectral resolution MERIS bands as a minimum for color; dependent on the absorption/scattering features of interest.
- Endorsement of the resolutions for specific parameters outlined in the IGOS Coastal Theme Report
- Fill gap in ocean color.
- Show locally how hi resol in the coastal area, ie HF radar will demonstrates the important of hi res currents, there will be a drive for hi res from space.  NASA needs a demonstrated capability. Make space borne sensors for nearshore.
- FLH = floresence line height for color.

## Preliminary Recommendations Con’t

- Develop capacity to see through clouds (microwave sensors)
- Easier access to data --  searching capabilities (“Google Data”), data formats, preprocessing data to a standard format,
- Sophisticated software with simplified interface for end users
- Enhance regional capacity to address user needs for RS products
- The capabilities of the Regional Associations with regards to satellite remote sensing vary.
- NOAA NESDIS willing to assist regions to develop RS requirements

## Preliminary Recommendations Con’t

- Next workshop should focus on high resolution airborne sensors.
- Develop compelling education and outreach material that demonstrates the power of RS
- Visualizations demonstrating RS powerDevelop “State of the ocean report” that shows what’s different about this year, what can be expect next year, etc.
- Sponsor technical training sessions, with a focus on problem-driven formats where users bring a project as a focus of their learning
- Encourage existing educational networks such as COSEE to develop K-12 curriculum modules
- Case studies  such as natural hazards, coastal development/urbanization, public and individual health.
- Need strategy to develop climatologies (data storage strategy, roles and responsibilities) at a scale beyond individual researcher’s efforts