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Automated Global Shallow Water Bathymetry Mapping Using Google Earth Engine

Authors :
Jiwei Li
David E. Knapp
Mitchell Lyons
Chris Roelfsema
Stuart Phinn
Steven R. Schill
Gregory P. Asner
Source :
Remote Sensing, Vol 13, Iss 8, p 1469 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

Global shallow water bathymetry maps offer critical information to inform activities such as scientific research, environment protection, and marine transportation. Methods that employ satellite-based bathymetric modeling provide an alternative to conventional shipborne measurements, offering high spatial resolution combined with extensive coverage. We developed an automated bathymetry mapping approach based on the Sentinel-2 surface reflectance dataset in Google Earth Engine. We created a new method for generating a clean-water mosaic and a tailored automatic bathymetric estimation algorithm. We then evaluated the performance of the models at six globally diverse sites (Heron Island, Australia; West Coast of Hawaiʻi Island, Hawaiʻi; Saona Island, Dominican Republic; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands; and The Grenadines) using 113,520 field bathymetry sampling points. Our approach derived accurate bathymetry maps in shallow waters, with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values ranging from 1.2 to 1.9 m. This automatic, efficient, and robust method was applied to map shallow water bathymetry at the global scale, especially in areas which have high biodiversity (i.e., coral reefs).

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20724292
Volume :
13
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Remote Sensing
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.6ae04030ad514fd0a85ae966975279c2
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13081469