EAARL submarine topography: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Dataset Identification:
Resource Abstract:
<p>This Web site contains 46 Lidar-derived submarine topography maps and GIS files for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.</p>
<br> <p>These Lidar-derived submarine topographic maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, FISC St. Petersburg, Florida, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), Remote Sensing Division, the National Park Service (NPS) South Florida/Caribbean Network Inventory and Monitoring
Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research
is to create techniques to survey coral reefs and barrier islands for the purposes of geomorphic change studies, habitat mapping,
ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment. As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument
under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are
being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring subaerial and submarine
topography within cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to
be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to coastal resource managers.</p>
Citation
Title EAARL submarine topography: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary