Narangerel Davaasuren

Knowledge on the density, distribution and occurrence of whales and dolphins in the Caribbean Netherlands is sparse. This knowledge is needed as basic input for conservation and management of cetaceans in the area. Especially in the long term, dedicated data is needed to provide a base-line for monitoring the effect of policy decisions, such as a proposed implementation of a whale sanctuary.

Op basis van 75 lijntransecten van 500 m worden in dit verslag de eerste kwantitatieve schattingen gedaan van het geitenbestand van Bonaire. Deze transecten werden met behulp van het programma Distance 6.2 via een ‘random systematic design’ over het eiland verdeeld. Het veldonderzoek heeft plaatsgevonden in de periode 6 - 13 december 2014.

Mosselzaadbanken in de Waddenzee worden bevist. In 2006 is een onderzoek gestart naar de effecten van mosselzaadvisserij op sublitorale natuurwaarden, het PRODUS onderzoek. Omdat de biodiversiteit in de Waddenzee nauw samenhangt met de driedimensionale structuur van de zeebodem wordt binnen PRODUS het effect van visserij op deze structuur bestudeerd aan de hand van sidescan sonar opnames die voor en na visserij worden uitgevoerd

Remote sensing kan een bruikbare en relatief goedkope methode zijn om specifieke karakteristieken van droogvallende platen waar te nemen. De vereiste resolutie, ofwel het oplossend vermogen, om sedimentkarakteristieken en kenmerken van droogvallende schelpdierbanken te kunnen bepalen moet beter zijn dan 30 meter. Mogelijke toekomstige toepassingen voor het monitoren van veranderingen en toepassingen voor beleids- en beheersondersteunende modellen wordt besproken

One of the aims of the WaLTER project (Wadden Sea Long-Term Ecosystem Research) is to define an integrated monitoring plan for environmental and managerial issues that are relevant to the Wadden Sea area, in relation to issues such as sea-level rise, fisheries, recreation and industrial activities. The monitoring network should provide an effective basis for decision-making, and stimulate valid data interpretation. The participants of the WaLTER project include a number of institutes and organisations that carry out long-term measurements and research in the Wadden Sea area.

The increase in plastic pollution is advancing micro level pollution and the total weight of microplastics (<0.33mm-1.00 mm) in the ocean column. The amount of plastic in the North Pacific is estimated as 21 x 108 tons and in the North Atlantic as 10.4 x 108 tons. The plastic in marine environment will eventually degrade and it will be promptly colonized by bacteria releasing surfactants. Such surfactants will have the effect of damping the capillary and small gravitational waves on the ocean surface. Since SAR is sensitive to roughness induced by capillary waves, it may be exploited to detect bacterial activities related to plastic pollution. In this work we used Sentinel-1A and COSMO SkyMed radar images acquired in the Atlantic and Pacific gyres to detect surfactants that may be associated to plastic pollution. We are using SAR, because the damping properties of surfactants produce dark areas in images. Since area of low backscattering in SAR images could also be produced by ot...

The development of information technology has a high influence on human development. Poor information results in inadequate analysis, which leads to misguided policies on natural resources management. The focus of current research was on application of information technology for land degradation assessment in western Mongolia. Land degradation is a complex problem, resulting from many factors and it is includes among existing climate constrains a result of mismanagement regarding land and land use. The current problem has many socio-economic, institutional and environmental aspects. An information system has the task to collect, analyze and process existing information. It is an active object, which deals with information and information processes. The design of information system on land degradation assessment, for the case of pasture areas in western Mongolia, needs to be able to collect and to analyse available information. The current research focused on vegetation change analys...

The floating plastic debris in the oceans will be colonized by various bacteria, microbes, and microorganisms and eventually degrade/disintegrate into smaller pieces (microplastics). In the right conditions, bacteria that release surfactants will produce slicks and films, which will appear as dark spots on SAR radar images. 
In this work, we used Sentinel-1A and COSMO SkyMed SAR radar images in selected areas of the North Pacific and North Atlantic to detect dark spots- slicks and films on a near-surface of the ocean as a consequence of surfactants present in the water. The main advantage of radar data, in this case, is the ability of the SAR sensors to detect such slicks and films, otherwise not visible in ocean color and optical images. The ocean geophysical products, including sea surface temperature, surface wind, chlorophyll, surface reflectance, turbidity, and wave heights must also be considered when dark areas in SAR images are associated with surfactants or other oceanographic and meteorological factors. Additionally, to understand processes linked with microorganisms associated with plastic pollutants we simulated experiments under controlled conditions. The conclusion of our study is that SAR radar remote sensing is able to detect plastic pollution in the open oceans and this method can be extended to other areas. 

Index Terms— Microplastics, Surfactants, SAR radar, Sentinel-1A, COSMO SkyMed

Thesis submitted to the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences in partial ful-filment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geoinformation Management for Rural Development. ... Name Professor: Dr. Theo Bouloucos, SDA department; Ir. ...