A multimillion-dollar federal contract with a local high technology company will upgrade maps of Hawaii's coral reefs from the 19th century to the 21st century over the next two years. High-flying camera
to detail Hawaii’s reefsBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comScience & Technology International will use hyperspectral imaging to create maps of coral reefs at ocean depths of up to 100 feet. The process uses a $1 million camera to shoot the specialized photos that provide highly detailed color images of the sea floor.
The camera will be mounted on an airplane that will fly 5,000 to 10,000 feet above the water's surface, said Jonathan Gradie, STI chief technology officer.
"Every material in nature has a spectral fingerprint," but they are so fine that the human eye cannot see the differences in color, Gradie said. Hyperspectral imaging can see those differences and by correlating what it sees to the University of Hawaii's extensive hyperspectral image library, the maps can tell scientists the location of sand, mud, algae, coral and other sea-floor coverings at an unprecedented level of detail.
STI's technology was developed for the U.S. Department of Defense to detect mines and submarines underwater, but is now being transferred to health and environmental applications.
The potential accuracy of the maps is stunning in comparison to what scientists have to work with now, said David Gulko, a Department of Land and Natural Resources coral reef biologist. Current maps of Hawaii's coral reefs are largely based on navigation charts, some of which are unchanged since the late 1800s, Gulko said.
The new maps will give natural resources managers more specific information about reefs, which will help them assess proposals, such as harbor expansions, sewer outfalls, and offshore aquaculture, Gulko said.
The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force has identified mapping the country's coral reefs as a priority and Congress has allocated $30 million for the effort, said Mark Monaco, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biogeography program manager.
NOAA will pay STI up to $5 million to map reefs around the main Hawaiian islands over the next two years and then of other U.S. Pacific territories.
Partners in the five-year project include the UH, Analytic Laboratories of Hawaii, the Oceanic Institute, and the state DLNR.
All of the maps, as they become available, can be found at the NOAA Web site: biogeo.nos.noaa.gov.
Science & Technology International
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dept. of Land & Natural Resources