napari-sediment: An open-source plugin for hyperspectral sediment core analysis

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is revolutionising sediment core analysis in environmental and geoscience research, providing high-resolution, non-destructive insights into biogeochemical processes. However, analysing the large, complex datasets generated by HSI requires specialised tools. Existing commercial solutions often lack flexibility and transparency, hindering open science practices.

To address this, we introduce napari-sediment, an open-source plugin for the napari image analysis platform. This plugin provides a user-friendly graphical interface to implement a complete workflow for hyperspectral sediment core analysis, including:

• Preprocessing: Background correction and noise reduction.
• Data exploration: Interactive visualisation and statistical analysis of spectral data.
• Endmember extraction: Identification of pure spectral signatures.
• Quantitative analysis: Calculation of spectral indices for substance quantification and visualisation of spatial distributions.

napari-sediment streamlines the analysis of hyperspectral sediment core data, enabling researchers to efficiently extract valuable information on pigment distributions, mineral composition (limited), and organic matter content (qualitative). By leveraging the napari framework, the plugin fosters reproducibility and collaboration in the growing field of hyperspectral sedimentology. Here, we demonstrate the capabilities of napari-sediment and highlight its potential for advancing paleoclimate research, environmental monitoring, and geological investigations.