Test Application of KOMPSAT-2 to the Detection of Microphytobenthos in Tidal Flats

Microphytobenthos bloom from late January to early March in Korean tidal flats. KOMPSAT-2 will provide multi-spectral images with a spatial resolution of 4 m comparable with IKONOS. Using IKONOS and Landsat data, algal mat detection was tested in the Saemangeum area~ Micro-benthic diatoms are abundant and a major primary product in the tidal flats. A linear spectral unmixing (LSU) method was applied to the test data. LSU was effective to detect algal mat and the classified algal mat fraction well correlated with NDVI image. Fine grained upper tidal flats are generally known to be the best environment for algal mat. Algal mat thriving in coarse grained lower tidal flats as well as upper tidal flats were reported in this study. A high resolution multi-spectral sensor in KOMPSAT-2 will provide useful data for long-term monitoring of microphytobenthos in tidal flats.