Abstract:
The data results show for the first time Landsat-based land use maps of both the terrestrial and benthic habitats of the U. S. Virgin Islands, spanning a period of 16 years (1985 to 2001). Shallow-water (generally, less than 30 meters) bank and land areas on St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix were identified through unsupervised classification of Landsat 7 TM and ETM+ satellite imagery. NOS aerial photographs, benthic habitat data, and bathymetric data were used to ground truth the scenes. The project was supported through the Coral Reef Conservation Program.
For additional information please see "Use of Landsat for Managing Coastal Ecosystems of the USVI" https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/coris/data/NOAA/nesdis/ora/LandChangeAnalysis/Documents/sapnabatishDissFINAL.pdf
Purpose:
The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of Landsat as a potential tool for monitoring the long-term impact of sedimentary runoff to benthic ecosystems. The terrestrial portions of the scenes showed a major shift from forest cover to rural and urban land use. The benthic areas showed a shift from live to dead-algae-covered coral. While the findings cannot establish a causative link between change in land use and decline in coral ecosystem health, they suggest that Landsat may serve as an effective tool when allocating resources for further analysis, habitat conservation, or protection.
Supplemental_Information:
Landsat scenes used, listed according to the World Reference System.
Path, Row, Date (m/d/y)
P004, R047, 2/26/01
P004, R047, 9/17/99
P004, R047, 8/12/92
P004, R047, 10/10/87
P004, R047, 3/10/85
P004, R048, 1/25/01
P004, R048, 9/17/99
P004, R048, 8/12/92
P004, R048, 11/19/87
P004, R048, 2/22/85
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NCEI Geoportal Filter
Theme_Keyword: CoRIS_Metadata
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CRCP Project
Theme_Keyword:
Use of Landsat to Demonstrate the Impact of Land Use on the Benthic Habitats of the US Virgin Islands
Theme_Keyword: 1115
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Theme_Keyword: coral
Theme_Keyword: reef
Theme_Keyword: satellite imagery
Theme_Keyword: Landsat
Theme_Keyword: nonpoint
Theme_Keyword: pollution
Theme_Keyword: algae
Theme_Keyword: seagrass
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Remote sensing
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Mapping > Habitat mapping
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: Map Images > Habitats
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
Theme_Keyword: 010
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: United States Virgin Islands
Place_Keyword: St. Croix
Place_Keyword: St. Thomas
Place_Keyword: St. John
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Place Thesaurus
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Virgin Islands > St. Croix (17N064W0003)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. Croix > St. Croix (17N064W0003)
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Virgin Islands > St. John (18N064W0011)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. John > St. John (18N064W0011)
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Leeward Islands > St. Thomas (18N064W0033)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > St. Thomas > St. Thomas (18N064W0033)
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > Caribbean Sea > Virgin Islands > Lesser Antilles > U. S. Virgin Islands (17N064W0000)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > U. S. Virgin Islands > U. S. Virgin Islands > U. S. Virgin Islands (17N064W0000)
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Region
Place_Keyword: USVI