RESEARCH
& DEVELOPMENT
Ocean
Imaging conducts research through federal, state and corporate
funding. A common goal for many of our projects is to develop
new environmental monitoring capabilities which can be applied
operationally in the future. Here are some representative examples
of projects we are presently working on:
Coastal
Water Quality Monitoring
Ocean Imaging first researched the utility of various types of
remote sensing data for coastal pollution detection with NASA
funding. This work led to several demonstration projects co-funded
by NASA and end-user partners such as the EPA and the Orange County
Sanitation District. Since 2002, the developed methodology has
been added as a regular component of a mandatory monitoring program
for several discharger permits in California. We utilize both
satellite and DMSC aerial imagery to monitor effluent plumes from
offshore sewage outfalls, and the locations, intensities and trajectories
of shoreline discharges from rivers and storm drains. This information
is used to separate the true effects of the various discharge
sources and to assess the beach extents of possible health hazards.
One of our goals is to decrease the number and size of beach closures
by quickly providing information on which areas truly affected
by shoreline contamination and which beaches do not need to be
closed.
Satellite-derived
Multivariate Data Base for Evaluating Environmental Influence
on AYK Salmon:
This federally and state funded research project focuses
on determining if environmental change in the Bering Sea has played
a role in the drastic drop of several species of Salmon along
the Sea’s Alaska shores. Salmon stock declines were noted
since the early 90s but catastrophic declines occurred in the
late 90s for unknown reasons. A multi-agency effort has begun
to compile data from the region to understand what happened and
formulate an effective remediation plan. Ocean Imaging is examining
20 year series of several types of satellite imagery to characterize
the Bering Sea environment and uncover any changes that may be
linked to the stock declines.
Development
of Rapid Biomass Assessment Technology for Alaska’s Kelp
Industry:
This NASA-funded project is being done in cooperation with researchers
at the University of Alaska. The harvesting of kelp for
manufacture of food additives and agrochemical products is a significant
business in Asia, Europe and parts of North America. Kelp
harvesting is a potentially underutilized industry in Alaska which
could provide great benefits to numerous communities. Presently
two pioneer companies are active in this business under temporary
harvesting permits. The latest permit mandates that a long-term
permit can be sought only if a viable kelp harvesting management
plan is developed within the next 2 years. One of the fundamental
components of such a plan is the ability to quickly and economically
assess the stockbiomass. This project aims to develop such
capabilities using aerial multispectral remote sensing.
Preliminary analysis of imagery obtained with Ocean Imaging’s
DMSC sensor and field data collected during July, 2002 show very
encouraging results, including potential to separate several kelp
species that grow in the southeast Alaska harvest grounds.
Remote
Sensing of the NE Pacific: (Papers)
This project, funded by the National Science Foundation through
2004, is being done in cooperation with researchers from Oregon
State University and U. of Maine. It is part of the large GLOBEC
research program and focuses on the driving mechanisms and interactions
of physical and biological components of the ocean environment
off the Pacific Northwest. Ocean Imaging is processing long-term
time series of AVHRR visible and thermal imagery using state-of-the-art
atmospheric correction algorithms. We are also performing analysis
of this imagery in conjunction with ERS/Radarsat SAR and MODIS
optical data to investigate both mesoscale and small scale dynamic
processes in the coastal zone. In 1998-2001 we were partners with
another OSU group in a related NOPP project funded by the Navy.
The focus of this investigation was to develop fine scale ocean
flow field modeling and forecasting capabilities. Ocean Imaging
provided upper layer current input derived from sequential AVHRR
and SAR imagery. These measurements can be used to both help develop
the models and later aid in their testing and validation. We also
involved members of the American Fishermen's Research Foundation
to collect additional oceanographic data over the study region
while fishing.
Utilization
of SAR data for High-Frequency Coastal Zone Monitoring
(Papers)
This NASA-funded project ended in 2002 but the developed technologies
led to operational monitoring programs funded by other federal,
state and local agencies. The project targeted the development
of novel applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in
the coastal zone. One result was development of methodology to
detect and track polluted storm runoff and sewage effluent along
the coast. Coupled with visible and infrared multispectral imagery
from satellites and our own aerial instrument, an operational
monitoring program was begun on the U.S. west coast in late 2002.
Studies
of Albacore Tuna Distributions in a Multi-variable Ocean System
This open-ended project is funded by the American Fishermen's
Research Foundation (AFRF) - an organization sponsored by U.S.,
Canadian and New Zealand albacore fishing fleets. For more than
a decade, Ocean Imaging has been using satellites to locate areas
with favorable fishing conditions for AFRF members. However, albacore
tuna are highly migratory - in the North Pacific some of them
cross the ocean twice each year - and are thus exploited for food
by several countries. To assure future preservation of this important
resource, we must first understand the influence of environmental
parameters on the albacore's distribution and migration patterns.
The recent large shifts in distributions of these fish in the
North Pacific remain mostly unexplained. Are they the result of
man's predation, the recent El-Nino, or some localized environmental
trends? Since the 1996 fishing season Ocean Imaging equipped several
of the fishing boats with instruments capable or recording vertical
profiles of conductivity (salinity), temperature and density (CTDs)
down to 200 meters depth. This allows us to study the effects
of changing ocean conditions on the fish migration patterns in
three dimensions. In 1999 work on this project was combined with
the nearshore NOPP effort (see above) by providing the data collected
by fishermen to OSU scientists working on ocean current models.
The project was expanded in 2000-2001 to include sea height data
obtained from satellite altimetry. The results are being prepared
for publication in scientific journals.
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