Application of High-spatial-resolution Satellite Images to Monitoring Coral Reef Habitat Changes at Weno Island Chuuk, Micronesia

Abstract

We present quantitative estimations of changes in the areal extent of coral reef habitats at Weno Island, Micronesia, using high-spatial-resolution remote sensing images and field observations. Coral reef habitat maps were generated from Kompsat-2 satellite images for September 2008 and September 2010, yielding classifications with 78.6% and 72.4% accuracy, respectively, which is a relatively high level of agreement. The difference between the number of pixels occupied by each seabed type was calculated, revealing that the areal extent of living corals decreased by 8.2 percentage points between 2008 and 2010. This result is consistent with a comparison of the seabed types determined by field observations. This study can be used as a basis for remediation planning to diminish the impact of changes in coral reefs.