NUS Satellite Research Project on Insular Geographic Features in the South China Sea

Introduction

The primary objective of the Research Project was to provide baseline information for further research on marine ecosystems and biodiversity of insular geographic features in the South China Sea (SCS). It involved a satellite image-based mapping of all visible insular geographic features in the SCS, including natural and man-made features, description of their geographic characteristics, natural coastal and marine habitats as well as land cover. Sea-level variations were also studied and taken into account in the mapping and analysis. The geographic scope encompassed all the insular features in the central deep basin of the SCS, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Macclesfield Bank and Scarborough Shoal. It excludes the coastlines of the bordering States.

Investigations were carried out by a pluri-disciplinary research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in physical oceanography and sea level modelling, remote sensing science applied to bathymetry calculation and marine habitat mapping as well as geography, marine ecology and marine policy. The main research centres involved were the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), the Physical Oceanography Lab of the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) and the Centre for International Law (CIL), the primary coordinator of the Project. The entire deep basin of the South China Sea was first studied using Landsat imagery to select all visible shallow geographic features (generally defined to be not more than 10-20m deep). The selected features were then studied using high resolution satellite data acquired for the Project. The Research Project was carried out between October 2014 and July 2016.

Each shallow feature has been the subject of:

• calculation of depth;
• study of sea level variations over that feature;
• identification of marine habitat type and land cover classification;
• integration of these data into a descriptive summary.

The results of the study are summarised in 139 Description Sheets that can be accessed below by clicking directly on the name of the relevant geographic feature listed alphabetically or as marked out on the Maps of the Northern and Southern parts of the South China Sea. The following documents can also be accessed by clicking on their name: The Legends, a Readers’ Guide, a Glossary of the Terms used, the Methodology, a Table of Features Studied with their corresponding names set out in Chinese (pinyin and characters), Filipino, Malay and Vietnamese languages and a Table of the Satellite Images reviewed for all features (including those that were considered to be not shallow enough to justify a study with high-resolution satellite data).

The results of the study can also be visualised on CRISP’s Online Research Mapping Tool (or ORMT platform) here.

For any questions on the Project or requests for metadata, please fill in the request form here.

Southern South China Sea

Northern South China Sea