Benthic habitat classification mapping of the Alacranes Reef.
Supervisor: Abigail Uribe-Martinez (Kalanbio AC, mexico)
Alacranes Reef is the largest coraline structure in the Gulf of Mexico and it is considered of high ecological and economical importance. We aimed to map benthic and terrestrial habitats of the Alacranes Reef National Park applying remote sensing techniques using WorldView-3 images with high spatial resolution and field verification. These images were processed using a combination of different methods such as Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI), Superpixels and Simple Linear Iterative Clustering ( SLIC) Segmentation, Lyzenga Water Correction Algorithm and Kmeans Clustering applied through R and GIS software. It was then conducted a field work expedition to obtain ground-truthed data of the habitats. The WorldView-3 images were bought by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, with the support of the Furgason Scholarship International. The images bought seemed to be effective for mapping these benthic habitats. A preliminary map of the benthic habitats of the reef was developed, with a classification scheme based on the spectral response of the said habitats, yet it was intended to combine the sensing techniques and the field work data gathered to generate a detailed benthic habitat map of known accuracy. Since it was only possible to conduct the fieldwork in July 2022, this thesis does not include the data gathered to verify the accuracy of the initially proposed benthic habitats map. It was solely designed according to the WorldView-3 images bought. The map will be improved/verified upon, in the coming months, through the processing and inclusion of the ground-truthed data gathered. Our aim is to provide accurate and up to date information on the benthic habitats that can be of use to policy makers and park directors, for a better management of the reef. The fast technology  advancements in the fields of remote sensing, and more specifically satellite measurements, allows researchers to find much more accurate results then the already published. The results we came to could set the basis for an ongoing study that should be repeated periodically. It would also be of utmost importance to compare the results of the present research to those of the a similar study conducted (Cinvestav, Mexico 2000) to verify the evolution of the habitats in time and space and to understand the risks the Alacranes Reef is subject to and what can be done to ensure its preservation and prosperity.

Keywords: Alacranes Reef, benthic habitats mapping and remote sensing (satellite measurements, WorldView-3, SLIC image segmentation method, image classification, Kmeans clustering and NDWI)