Reef building corals flourish in tropical and subtropical clear waters within a narrow range of biophysical environmental parameters. Among the parameters, sedimentation affects corals through tissue damage. Multi-temporal, high spatial resolution, multi-spectral satellite images can be integrated on a GIS platform to identify the micro reef-zones vulnerable to future sedimentation. This study attempts to identify micro-level regions of Pirotan reef, part of Jamnagar Marine National Park, Gujarat, India. RESOURCESAT (IRS P6) LISS IV MX images were used to study the reef-scale sedimentation pattern for a period of four years (2004-2007). Digitally classified images were used as base reference to create vector inputs for identifying the micro-level, reef–scale changes in sedimentation pattern. Close observations on the sedimentation pattern in Pirotan reveal an ongoing process of sand filling in the central tidal pool, extension of a juvenile beach within the core region of the reef, a NE-SW trendline demarcating a clear distinction between the relatively sediment-free seaward face of the reef and the contrasting eastern and south-eastern areas showing high sediment loading.

Coral reef, remote sensing, morphodynamics, benthic community-sediment relationship