Date of Graduation

Fall 12-12-2025

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Environmental Management

First Advisor

Simon Scarpetta Ph.D.

Abstract

The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), located off the coast of Northern California contains approximately 90% of the region’s bull kelp. Bull kelp is a foundational species that provides food and shelter supporting diverse marine ecosystems, but due to recent anthropogenic stressors, 90% of kelp forests along the California coast have been lost. The Greater Farallones Association (GFA) is actively working on restoration efforts, where monitoring is essential for assessing recovery success. My research addresses GFA’s need to reduce reliance on intensive, time-consuming Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) surveys by identifying accurate, cost-effective, and scalable remote sensing technologies for kelp canopy monitoring. I began by conducting a literature synthesis of the current state of the field, to familiarize myself with the various tools and weigh their pros and cons. I then performed a local and regional GIS analysis to assess the accuracy of PlanetScope data. I compared PlanetScope imagery against high-resolution UAS data (local scale), LandSat imagery (regional scale), and contextualized the findings using marine heat wave data. The analysis revealed that PlanetScope imagery, despite its relatively coarse 3m spatial resolution, provides sufficient spatial and temporal detail to effectively monitor nearshore and emerging kelp forests. My research validates that GFA can reliably adopt PlanetScope as a primary imaging source for their restoration sites. Additionally, the processing algorithms used to process PlanetScope imagery for kelp should be made publicly available to facilitate broader adoption and standardized monitoring.

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