Advancing Satellite Derived Bathymetry in Ireland’s Coastal Waters: New Research Supported by INFOMAR Data
INFOMAR is pleased to highlight a new peer reviewed publication led by Xavier Monteys of Geological Survey Ireland that significantly advances the accuracy of satellite derived bathymetry (SDB) in shallow and optically complex coastal environments. The study demonstrates the strong potential of combining multi temporal Sentinel 2 imagery with empirical modelling to improve depth estimation in dynamic nearshore waters.
The paper, titled “Improving Satellite Derived Bathymetry in Complex Coastal Environments: A Generalised Linear Model and Multi Temporal Sentinel 2 Approach”, presents a two-step workflow that integrates traditional empirical models with a Generalised Linear Model (GLM) applied to ten Sentinel 2 (European Space Agency) scenes captured throughout 2021. The study area, located at Portrane and Rush on Ireland’s east coast, is a challenging environment where turbidity, suspended sediment, and estuarine influence have historically limited the performance of optical bathymetry methods.
Central to the research is the use of high quality INFOMAR multibeam bathymetry data, collected aboard the R.V. Geo in late 2021 which also fed into the Office of Public Works Pilot Coastal Monitoring Survey Programme (CMSP). These in situ measurements served as the training and validation dataset for calibrating the GLM and benchmarking its performance against established empirical techniques. The results show that the GLM, combined with carefully selected multi image composites, achieved substantial improvements in accuracy. The best performing four image composite reached an RMSE of 0.45 m and an MAE of 0.34 m, representing a 42 percent reduction in error relative to single image models.
Figure 1: The application of the generalised linear model (GLM) resulted in overall error margins of 0.45 m for the RMSE and 0.34 m for the MAE.
The work highlights the value of INFOMAR’s detailed seabed mapping datasets in supporting innovation in coastal monitoring, habitat mapping, erosion studies and Earth observation research. It also reinforces INFOMAR’s role as a key national marine data infrastructure enabling scientific collaboration and environmental decision making.
The study was delivered through a strong partnership involving
- Xavier Monteys (Geological Survey Ireland / INFOMAR)
- Tea Isler (Alfred Wegener Institute and University of Bremen)
- Dr. Gema Casal (Instituto Español de Oceanografía)
- Dr. Colman Gallagher (UCD School of Geography)
This collaboration brings together expertise in seabed mapping, marine geology, coastal geomorphology, and satellite remote sensing.
New Satellite Derived Bathymetry Web App
The publication also complements recent innovation arising from the GSI Research Short Call 2024, which supported the development of a web based Satellite Derived Bathymetry App created collaboratively by Maynooth University and Geological Survey Ireland. The new app provides users with an accessible way to experiment with Sentinel 2 imagery and generate SDB layers directly in a browser based environment. This tool is a practical extension of the research presented in the publication and will help broaden access to coastal mapping techniques for researchers, practitioners, and students.
Read the Publication
The full open access paper is available here:
Improving Satellite Derived Bathymetry in Complex Coastal Environments: A Generalised Linear Model and Multi Temporal Sentinel 2 Approach
Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/23/3834
INFOMAR congratulates all contributors involved and looks forward to further collaboration that enhances Ireland’s coastal mapping capability and supports ongoing scientific research. INFOMAR is a Government of Ireland seabed mapping programme funded by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and is jointly managed by Geological Survey Ireland and The Marine Institute.
