[Coral-List] ICRS Symposium: Remote Sensing

[Hiroya Yamano]

Dear coral-listers

Eric Hochberg, James Goodman, Serge Andrefouet and I are co-organizing a 
mini-symposium "Remote Sensing of Coral Reefs" (5-1) at the 10th 
International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa, June 2004. On behalf of my 
co-conveners, I would like to introduce the mini-symposium.

Remote sensing is one of the fastest growing fields of coral reef research 
and its utility continues to expand. This mini-symposium welcomes 
remote-sensing related topics, including, but not limited to, instrument 
development, theory, and application. Please refer below to a more detailed 
description of the aims and scope of this session. Both oral and poster 
presentations are welcome. Note that the deadline for submitting an 
abstract is 25 December.

There will also be another special summary session addressing remote 
sensing for science and management. We encourage you to attend the special 
session in addition to our mini-symposium.

We look forward to seeing you in Okinawa.

Sincerely

Hiroya

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Aims and Scope

This mini-symposium is intended to illustrate the evolving capability of 
remote sensing as an effective tool for assessing the spatial and temporal 
dynamics of coral reefs. This speaks directly to the main organizing theme 
of the conference with regard to methods for evaluating the stability and 
degradation of coral ecosystems. Clearly, an essential element of any 
effort to preserve, protect and manage coral reefs is a reliable means for 
quantitatively mapping and assessing the dynamics of community 
distribution. It is also important to investigate environmental 
stressor-response relationships and to have the capability to efficiently 
monitor the current and future health of these ecosystems. The 
effectiveness of being able to address such issues using remote sensing 
continues to improve through advances in detector technologies, the 
acquisition of coral-specific spectral information, increases in the 
spatial and spectral resolution of sensors, as well as by improved
computer capabilities and analysis methods. Accordingly, topics to be 
addressed will include: applications and implications of global SST 
monitoring; recent advances in hyperspectral analysis, including results 
from the first satellite based hyperspectral observations; acquisition of
field spectra and the development of spectral libraries; expanded 
capabilities of multi-spectral analysis investigations; continuing 
effectiveness of aerial photography; and examples of successful
applications and ecosystem assessments.
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  >>(#(">                 --- Hiroya Yamano, Dr. ---
      <")=)<<   Social and Environmental Systems Division
  Y               National Institute for Environmental Studies
_Y_Y__Y_  16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
http://www.nies.go.jp/social/kojin/yamano/yamano_e.html