Object-based image analysis for mapping geomorphic zones of coral reefs in the Xisha Islands, China

Mapping regional spatial patterns of coral reef geomorphology provides the primary information to understand the constructive processes in the reef ecosystem. However, this work is challenged by the pixel-based image classification method for its comparatively low accuracy. In this paper, an object-based image analysis(OBIA)method was presented to map intra-reef geomorphology of coral reefs in the Xisha Islands, China using Landsat 8satellite imagery. Following the work of the Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project, a regional reef class hierarchy with ten geomorphic classes was first defined. Then, incorporating the hierarchical concept and integrating the spectral and additional spatial information such as context, shape and contextual relationships, a large-scale geomorphic map was produced by OBIA with accuracies generally more than 80%. Although the robustness of OBIA has been validated in the applications of coral reef mapping from individual reefs to reef system in this paper, further work is still required to improve its transferability.

Detailed seafloor geomorphology of the western region of the North Yellow Sea,China:The result of Holocene erosional and depositional processes sculpting the offshore continental shelf

High-resolution multi-beam/single-beam bathymetric data and seismic profiling data from the latest surveys are used to map and interpret the detailed seafloor geomorphology of the western region of the North Yellow Sea(NYS),China.The mapping area covers 156410 km^(2),and incorporates a flat shelf plain,subaqueous accumulation shoals,tidal scouring troughs,and tidal sand ridge groups.Offshore areas with water depths less than 50 m in the western region of the NYS are mainly covered by thick,loose sediments,forming wide spread accumulation geomorphological features;these include the Liaodong Peninsula subaqueous accumulation system containing shoals and rugged scouring troughs,and the large mud wedge of the Shandong Peninsula.In the central part of the NYS,there is a relatively flat residual shelf plain with coarser sediment deposits.This flat shelf plain has a water depth larger than 50 m and a thin layer of sediment,on which there is a large pockmark field caused by seafloor seepage.These geomorphological structures indicate that modern sedimentary processes are the main driving force controlling the sculpture of the current seafloor surface landform.Extensive strong tidal current systems and abundant sediment sources provide the critical external forces and essential conditions for the formation of seafloor geomorphology.The tectonic basement controls the macroscopic morphological shape of the NYS,but is reflected very little in the seafloor geomorphic elements.Our results provide a detailed seafloor geomorphological map of the western region of the NYS,an area that has not previously mapped and also provide a scientific framework for further research into offshore seafloor geomorphology,shelf sedimentary processes,and submarine engineering construction in this region.