THE HYSPIRI MISSION AIMS TO EXAMINE HOW A HYPERSPECTRAL AND THERMAL IMAGING SATELLITE CAN BE USED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS CONCERNING ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION. CORAL REEFS ARE KNOWN TO BE EXTREMELY DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS SUPPORTING UP TO 25% OF MARINE FISH SPECIES. CORAL REEFS ARE ALSO HIGHLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING OCEAN ACIDIFICATION, NEAR-SHORE POLLUTION AND SEDIMENTATION, AND INCREASING OCEAN TEMPERATURES. BECAUSE CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS SUPPORT SUCH DIVERSE OCEAN LIFE, THEY ALSO REPRESENT IMPORTANT HUMAN RESOURCES (FISHERIES) THAT CONTINUE TO BE THREATENED BY IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THESE ECOSYSTEMS ARE CHANGING, WE AIM TO USE SIMULATED HYSPIRI (AVIRIS) DATA IN CONJUNCTION WITH PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED AVIRIS DATA (FROM 2000, 2001, 2005, AND 2007) TO IDENTIFY HOW CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE, TURBIDITY, CLOUD COVER, IRRADIANCE) INFLUENCE CORAL HEALTH. WE WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE HOW LAND-USE/LAND-COVER CHANGE IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IS RELATED TO THESE ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES, AND DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS BASED ON THE HYSPIRI-LIKE DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT CAUSES SHIFTS IN BENTHIC COMMUNITY STRUCTURE. THE STUDY WILL FOCUS ON CORAL REEFS IN KANEOHE BAY, OAHU AND KEALAKEKUA BAY, HAWAII AND COMPARE BOTH REEF SYSTEMS TO EXAMINE HOW HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CAN AFFECT CORAL HEALTH. WE WILL USE THE HYPERSPECTRAL DATA TO CALCULATE BATHYMETRY AND TURBIDITY AND VALIDATE ALGORITHMS FOR CLEAR COASTAL WATERS, AND COMPARE DERIVED BATHYMETRY TO PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED LIDAR BATHYMETRY. OUR FOCUS WILL BE TO USE SPECTRAL MIXTURE ANALYSIS AND CHANGE DETECTION ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT HAVE SHIFTED FROM CORAL DOMINATED TO ALGAE DOMINATED, INDICATING DECREASED CORAL HEALTH OR DEATH.