Exploring the Utility of the Broadband Multispectral Sensor WorldView2 for Investigation of Nearshore Coastal Environments**

Utility of the Worldview2 (WV2) sensor was examined for mapping and quantifying submerged aquatic habitats along the Florida Gulf Coast. Benthic types ranged from bare sand to dense seagrass. Satellite imagery was atmospherically calibrated using coincident ground based measurements of Rrs. Sand and seagrass were distinguished by brightness in the green (510 to 580 nm) band. Bottom reflectance (Rb) for each sand and seagrass pixel was retrieved using a radiative transfer approach that removed the filtering effects of the overlying water column. Seagrass abundance was then calculated using an empirical relationship between Rb in the green and LAI. Characteristics of the sensor requires independent knowledge of water depth and benthic optical properties in order to quantify these benthic habitats, however once these properties are known successive images can be processed without the need for further in situ collections.