Applied Users

More than 280 islands situated in the South China Sea are formed by groups of atolls, coral reefs, and sea banks that are intricately interwoven with precious marine life. Some of them are managed by Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior and protected by the Ocean Affairs Council to prevent the loss of sediment and the degradation of benthic habitat from anthropogenic forcing, as well as to restore and conserve marine biology. The Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research (CSRSR) at National Central University works with Taiwan’s Dept. of Land Administration, Ministry of the Interior to map both the land and nearshore areas of Taiwan. Our work provides information to help monitor the transportation of sediment and the change of benthic types. The use of ICESat-2 together with Sentinel-2 data to produce satellite derived bathymetry (SDB) has helped demonstrate the capability to use satellite data to attempt early warning of changes in shallow waters. We have produced SDB in many other islands in the South China Sea as a source for electronic navigational charts (ENCs). ENCs are used to identify ship navigation, particularly when going nearshore, as well as sea sand dredging, sunken ships, and status or change of underwater terrain. Successful mapping has already been done for >130 islands in the South China Sea and more mapping is underway.