Incorporating the Coastal Blue Band into a Remote Sensing Toolkit for Mapping Intertidal Mudflats in South SF Bay

One of the key uncertainties identified within the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) Adaptive Management Plan is whether the sediment source will come at the expense of critical mudflat habitat. If so, erosion of existing mudflats may result in changes in foraging area and food resources, thus reducing the ecosystem benefits of this habitat to waterbirds and other species. As a result, the SBSPRP requires methods for tracking changes to the distributions, extent and quality of mudflats within its expansive project area. A prior SBSPRP study (Fulfrost, et al. 2012) found that use of satellite imagery for tracking changes to approximately 2000 acres of mudflats was problematic because of the difficulty of matching a day and time when low tide (at Mean Lower Low Water) fully exposed the mudflats with satellite flyover. One impediment to tracking mudflats is that must be mapped while they are exposed at the lowest tides (mean lower low water, MLLW). The number of days that high resolution satellites, such as Ikonos, Landsat 8, or WoldView 2 or 3 pass over during MLLW limits the effectiveness of these resources for mapping. The inclusion of the Coast Blue Band (CBB) aboard WorldView 2/3 improves capabilities for mapping shallow water substrates