ImageCat awarded National Science Foundation Grant to investigate the role of coastal ecosystem degradation in tsunami damage

Long Beach, CA - March 1, 2005. National Science Foundation has awarded ImageCat a SGER (Small Grants for Exploratory Research Grant) to investigate the role of coastal ecosystem degradation in tsunami damage. ImageCat and an interdisciplinary team of investigators will examine the potential tsunami mitigation benefits of coastal ecosystems. The massive destruction and loss of life caused by the recent tsunami disaster offers a significant opportunity to explore the links between ecosystem degradation and damage. While the disaster field has given surprisingly limited attention to these links, even less attention has been given to the role of coastal ecosystems in mitigating tsunami impacts.

Focusing on Thailand, the study will be carried out over several interrelated tasks: 1) identify 3 to 6 matched pairs of sites (high versus low environmental degradation) within the tsunami impact zone; 2) examine remote sensing images of each matched pair to determine links between losses ecosystem integrity; 3) conduct field investigation of one matched pair to verify and refine remote sensing data, and assess influence of the context of the disaster and environmental planning institutions in ecosystem protection; and 4) analyze and synthesize multiple source of data to determine the influence of environmental degradation on disaster losses.

The study will provide insights into role of ecosystem degradation, remote sensing as a research tool, and environmental conservation as a mitigation strategy. These insights should be of particular interest to international communities at risk to tsunamis. Investigation of these links is highly appropriate since much of the field data are ephemeral and must be gathered during the immediate disaster aftermath.