Seascape Ecology project
Courtney Stuart studies nutrient cycling across the land-sea interface in Teti’aroa using a combination of landscape ecology theory, stable isotope analysis, and GIS-based approaches.
Pirta Palola is focused on marine remote sensing. During her fieldwork at Teti’aroa, she conducted hyperspectral radiometric measurements of benthic and surface reflectance. Additionally, she measured water quality parameters such as chlorophyll-a concentration, turbidity, and absorption coefficients of phytoplankton and non-algal particulate matter. Understanding the coral spectral signatures and the water column optical properties allows for an accurate correction between reflectance from the benthos and the water column. Hence, this data forms the basis for the physics-based remote sensing model for mapping land-sea connectivity and seascape spatial patterns at Teti’aroa.
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