Data from: Underwater hyperspectral classification of deep sea corals exposed to 2-methylnaphthalene

Tropical corals are routinely monitored from satellite and aeroplane using
remote sensing techniques, revealing the health of coral reefs. Notably,
coral bleaching is continuously monitored using multi- or hyperspectral
imagery from satellites and aeroplanes. For deep-water corals, however, no
established remote sensing technique exists, and for this reason, much
less is known about the status of their habitats over time. The purpose of
the present work was to evaluate the use of underwater hyperspectral
imaging to detect changes in health status of both orange and white color
morphs of the coral species L. pertusa. In this study, we examine the
feasibility of similar ecosystem health monitoring by the use of
underwater hyperspectral imagery. A total of 66 coral samples were exposed
to 2-methylnaphthalene concentrations from 0 mg L-1 to 3.5 mg L-1,
resulting in corals of varying health condition. By use of a machine
learning model for classification of reflectance spectra, we were able to
classify exposed corals according to lethal concentration (LC) levels LC5
(5% mortality) and LC25 (25% mortality). This is a first step in
developing a remote sensing technique able to assess environmental impact
on deep-water coral habitats over larger areas underwater.