Course Details

Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Monitoring Training Course

Introduction

The health and dynamics of our oceans, seas, and coastal zones are vital for global ecosystems, economies, and human well-being. These environments are incredibly dynamic and vast, making comprehensive monitoring through traditional in-situ methods challenging, costly, and often spatially limited. Remote Sensing provides an indispensable tool for understanding and managing these critical aquatic and terrestrial interfaces. Satellite and airborne sensors can capture data across various spectral ranges, offering unparalleled capabilities for monitoring ocean color, sea surface temperature, coastal erosion, coral reef health, marine pollution, habitat mapping, and shoreline changes at scales from local to global, and with varying temporal frequencies. From tracking oil spills and assessing harmful algal blooms to mapping seagrass beds and monitoring coastal urban expansion, remote sensing offers a synoptic and repetitive view that is impossible to achieve otherwise. Without the skills to effectively acquire, process, and interpret remotely sensed data for marine and coastal applications, marine scientists, coastal managers, and environmental agencies may struggle to gain a comprehensive understanding of these complex systems, leading to delayed responses to threats and suboptimal management decisions. Many professionals in marine and coastal fields recognize the immense potential of satellite data but lack the practical expertise to translate raw imagery into actionable insights for effective monitoring and conservation.

Conversely, mastering Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Monitoring empowers professionals to conduct robust, evidence-based assessments of marine and coastal environments, identify critical trends, evaluate conservation efforts, and contribute to more informed and sustainable ocean governance. This specialized skill set is crucial for transforming raw image data into powerful insights that drive marine protection, sustainable coastal development, and climate resilience in our blue planet. Our intensive 5-day "Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Monitoring" training course is meticulously designed to equip marine scientists, coastal zone managers, oceanographers, environmental regulators, fisheries managers, conservation practitioners, urban planners, GIS professionals, and researchers with the essential theoretical knowledge and practical, hands-on skills required to confidently apply remote sensing techniques for comprehensive marine and coastal monitoring and analysis.

Duration

5 Days

Target Audience

The "Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Monitoring" training course is ideal for a broad range of professionals and researchers involved in the study, management, and conservation of marine and coastal environments. This includes:

• Marine Scientists and Biologists: For ocean productivity, marine habitat mapping, and species distribution.
• Coastal Zone Managers and Planners: For shoreline change analysis, coastal development monitoring, and hazard assessment.
• Oceanographers: For sea surface temperature, ocean color, and current dynamics.
• Environmental Regulators and Policy Makers: For pollution monitoring, environmental impact assessment, and compliance.
• Fisheries Managers: For habitat mapping, upwelling detection, and potential fishing zone identification.
• Conservation Practitioners: For coral reef monitoring, mangrove mapping, and protected area assessment.
• Hydrographers and Cartographers: For bathymetry and seafloor mapping.
• GIS Professionals and Analysts: Seeking to specialize in marine and coastal applications of remote sensing.
• Disaster Management Professionals: For oil spill detection, storm surge mapping, and post-tsunami assessment.
• Researchers and Academics: In oceanography, marine science, coastal geography, and related fields.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the "Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Monitoring" training course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of remote sensing as applied to marine and coastal environments.
• Identify and select appropriate remote sensing data sources (e.g., ocean color, thermal, SAR) for various marine and coastal parameters.
• Perform essential pre-processing steps for marine and coastal imagery, including atmospheric and sunglint correction.
• Apply various spectral analysis techniques to derive ocean color parameters, water quality indicators, and bathymetry.
• Utilize thermal infrared data for sea surface temperature (SST) mapping and marine heatwave detection.
• Employ radar (SAR) data for coastal change detection, oil spill monitoring, and vessel detection.
• Map and monitor coastal habitats (e.g., mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass) and shoreline dynamics.
• Formulate strategies for integrating remote sensing data into comprehensive marine and coastal monitoring programs and reporting.

 Course Modules

Module 1: Introduction to Remote Sensing for Marine & Coastal Environments

• Overview of challenges and importance of marine and coastal monitoring.
• Review of remote sensing fundamentals: Electromagnetic spectrum, platforms, sensors.
• Unique properties of light interaction with water: Absorption and scattering.
• Introduction to key marine and coastal applications: Ocean color, SST, habitat mapping, pollution, shoreline change.
• Integration of marine remote sensing with Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Module 2: Ocean Color Remote Sensing and Water Quality Parameters

• Principles of ocean color remote sensing: Sensors (e.g., MODIS, VIIRS, Sentinel-3 OLCI).
• Understanding inherent optical properties (IOPs) and apparent optical properties (AOPs) of water.
• Retrieval algorithms for key ocean color parameters: Chlorophyll-a concentration (phytoplankton biomass).
• Monitoring water quality indicators: Turbidity/suspended sediments, Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM).
• Detecting harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their spatial extent.

Module 3: Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Thermal Monitoring

• Principles of thermal infrared remote sensing for water bodies.
• Retrieval algorithms for Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from thermal sensors (e.g., AVHRR, MODIS, VIIRS, Landsat TIR).
• Applications of SST data:
• Mapping ocean currents, eddies, and upwelling zones.
• Detecting marine heatwaves and their impact on ecosystems.
• Fisheries management: Identifying potential fishing zones.
• Climate monitoring: Tracking long-term ocean warming trends.
• Understanding diurnal and seasonal variations in SST.

Module 4: Coastal Habitat Mapping and Monitoring

• Remote sensing for mapping and assessing coastal habitats:
• Mangroves: Mapping extent, health, and deforestation.
• Coral Reefs: Mapping distribution, bleaching events, and health status.
• Seagrass Beds: Delineating extent and monitoring changes.
• Salt marshes and other intertidal habitats.
• Utilizing high-resolution optical imagery (e.g., drone, commercial satellites) for detailed mapping.
• Challenges in mapping submerged habitats (water column correction).

Module 5: Shoreline Change Analysis and Coastal Geomorphology

• Methods for detecting and quantifying shoreline changes over time.
• Sources of data for shoreline analysis: Historical aerial photos, satellite imagery (multi-temporal).
• Digitizing shorelines and calculating rates of erosion/accretion.
• Mapping coastal geomorphic features (e.g., dunes, beaches, cliffs).
• Applications in coastal erosion management, hazard assessment, and land use planning.

Module 6: Radar (SAR) Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Applications

• Introduction to SAR principles and its unique advantages in marine environments (all-weather, day/night).
• Applications of SAR data:
• Oil Spill Detection and Monitoring: Identifying oil on the water surface.
• Vessel Detection and Maritime Surveillance: Tracking shipping activities.
• Mapping coastal infrastructure and land reclamation.
• Monitoring sea ice extent and dynamics.
• Wave and current pattern analysis (conceptual).
• Interpreting SAR backscatter signatures in marine and coastal areas.

Module 7: Marine Pollution and Environmental Incident Monitoring

• Remote sensing for detecting and tracking marine pollution events.
• Monitoring of suspended particulate matter (SPM) from river plumes or dredging.
• Detecting wastewater discharge plumes.
• Assessing impacts of natural disasters on coastal ecosystems (e.g., storm surge, tsunami impacts).
• Using multi-sensor approaches for comprehensive pollution assessment.

Module 8: Integrated Monitoring, Data Portals, and Future Trends

• Combining multi-source remote sensing data (optical, thermal, SAR) with in-situ data for holistic monitoring.
• Introduction to marine remote sensing data portals (e.g., NOAA CoastWatch, Copernicus Marine Service).
• Leveraging cloud-based platforms (e.g., Google Earth Engine) for marine and coastal analysis.
• Emerging technologies: Hyperspectral for water column constituents, LiDAR for bathymetry, CubeSats.
• Challenges and opportunities for operational marine and coastal remote sensing.

CERTIFICATION

• Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with Macskills Training and Development Institute Certificate

TRAINING VENUE

• Training will be held at Macskills Training Centre. We also tailor make the training upon request at different locations across the world.

AIRPORT PICK UP AND ACCOMMODATION

• Airport pick up and accommodation is arranged upon request

TERMS OF PAYMENT

Payment should be made to Macskills Development Institute bank account before the start of the training and receipts sent to info@macskillsdevelopment.com