Spatiotemporal Mapping and Monitoring of Whiting in the Semi-Enclosed Gulf Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Time Series Images and a Generic Ensemble Tree-Based Model

Whiting events in seas and lakes are a natural phenomenon caused by suspended calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles. The Arabian Gulf, which is a semi-enclosed sea, is prone to extensive whiting that covers tens of thousands of square kilometres. Despite the extent and frequency of whiting events in the Gulf, studies documenting the whiting phenomenon are lacking. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to detect, map and document the spatial and temporal distributions of whiting events in the Gulf using daily images acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites from 2002 to 2018. A method integrating a geographic object-based image analysis, the correlation-based feature selection technique (CFS), the adaptive boosting decision tree (AdaBoost DT) and the rule-based classification were used in the study to detect, quantify and assess whiting events in the Gulf from the MODIS data. Firstly, a multiresolution segmentation was optimised using unsupervised quality measures. Secondly, a set of spectral bands and indices were investigated using the CFS to select the most relevant feature(s). Thirdly, a generic AdaBoost DT model and a rule-based classification were adopted to classify the MODIS time series data. Finally, the developed classification model was compared with various tree-based classifiers such as random forest, a single DT and gradient boosted DT. Results showed that both the combination of the mean of the green spectral band and the normalised difference index between the green and blue bands (NDGB), or the combination of the NDGB and the colour index for estimating the concentrations of calcium carbonates (CI) of the image objects, were the most significant features for detecting whiting. Moreover, the generic AdaBoost DT classification model outperformed the other tested tree-based classifiers with an overall accuracy of 97.86% and a kappa coefficient of 0.97. The whiting events during the study period (2002−2018) occurred exclusively during the winter season (November to March) and mostly in February. Geographically, the whiting events covered areas ranging from 12,000 km2 to 60,000 km2 and were mainly located along the southwest coast of the Gulf. The duration of most whiting events was 2 to 6 days, with some events extending as long as 8 to 11 days. The study documented the spatiotemporal distribution of whiting events in the Gulf from 2002 to 2018 and presented an effective tool for detecting and motoring whiting events