TM-based coastal land cover change analysis and its application for state and local resource management needs

The Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) was initiated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to detect and monitor changes in coastal wetlands and adjacent upland land cover. Dobson et al. (1995) outlined the program protocol and provided background information. Since coastal areas in the United States vary significantly from one region to the next, the C-CAP protocol does not provide detailed digital change detection guidance. Detailed protocols would work well in some areas and fall short when applied to others. For this reason the C-CAP protocol is left fairly general for application in a wide variety of study areas and analysis of different types of change. Individuals must take into account their study area characteristics and define a change analysis protocol within C-CAP standards to fit their specific area. The purpose of this research was to design such a change analysis protocol, implement it, and provide the results in a format useful for coastal resource management. The study area for this project includes all lands that contribute surface water to the South Shore Estuary Reserve of Long Island, New York