Australia's Terrestrial Environment Research Network (TERN) Mangrove Portal

Abstract

The TERN Mangrove Portal arose, in part, from the desire to provide robust scientific datasets that could be used to quantify the extent of mangroves and monitor and understand change across Australia. An objective was to provide supportive ground information for calibrating and validating biophysical retrieval and classification algorithms. In achieving this goal, a wide range of datasets and approaches were considered, including Landsat time-series, RapidEye and other CubeSat data, mobile field data collection devices for near real time data collection and targeted airborne lidar and digital image captures. The TERN Mangrove Portal represents and important contribution towards mangrove monitoring across Australia, with the intention that this will serve to enhance protection, conservation and sustainable management of mangroves and also forewarn (or otherwise) of adverse impacts. A diverse range of ground, airborne and satellite data and derived products are available through the TERN Mangrove Portal and are being updated and added to continuously. Major contributions include: a) A 2016 capture of airborne LIDAR and aerial photography for the Gulf of Carpentaria, northern Australia. b) Global mangrove maps for 1996, 2007, 08, 09 and 10 and 2015 and 2016 c) 30 annual mangrove extent and cover maps for Australia c) Rapideye mosaics showing mangrove dieback across northern Australia between 2014 and 2015