Ocean-surface heterogeneity mapping: exploiting hypertemporal datasets in support of seascape ecology research

• Main Author: Scarrott, Rory
• Other Authors: Cawkwell, Fiona, Jessopp, Mark John, Cronin, Michelle, Cusack, Caroline, O’Rourke, Eleanor
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University College Cork 2022
• Subjects: Northeast Atlantic; West European Archipelago; ISODATA; Remote sensing; Hypertemporal; Sea surface temperature; Spatio-temporal heterogeneity; Seascape; Ecology; Heterogeneity mapping; Satellite data
• Online Access: https://cora.ucc.ie/handle/10468/13202

Seascape ecology provides us with a framework to explore the distribution of marine life throughout the world’s oceans. Studies often require both biological and environmental data from a variety of sources, which are increasingly complemented by data acquired using remote sensing and satellite-based sensors. Advances in remote sensing technology have equipped researchers with the capability to visualise environmental conditions, with great precision over large spatial scales. As records of environmental conditions, satellite-derived image data have proven useful in seascape ecology. Indeed, single-date and multi-date satellite imagery are already widely used in support of oceanographic and fisheries research and monitoring. However, with increases in the temporal frequency of imagery, a greater diversity of ocean surface features can be studied, modelled, and understood in terms of their development over time. This research examines the interface between oceanography, marine ecology, and remote sensing. It focuses on the use of a subset of temporally-rich satellite-derived imagery known as hypertemporal data, and its potential utility for seascape ecology studies. These high temporal resolution datasets are characterised by being: univariate in nature (e.g. Sea Surface Temperature); comprised of frequent, equally-spaced discrete time slices; precisely co-registered; and radiometrically consistent between images (i.e. they are measured using the same sensors, or are derived from inter-validated sensor systems). An in-depth review analyses nearly 25 years of available literature on the use of satellite-derived hypertemporal datasets. In general, they have been more widely used in terrestrial environments where in-situ validation costs are lower, and boundaries and features have greater permanency. By contrast, hypertemporal datasets have been under-utilised in ocean sciences. The review examines and describes the range of methodologies that have been adapted specifically for hypertemporal applications, in both ...