Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction
In Ecuador, the Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Project (CCSHP) provides 34 % of the country's energy demand. However, since its inauguration in 2016, regressive erosion in the Coca River has accelerated, causing the collapse of the San Rafael waterfall in 2020 and damage to oil and electricit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Environmental Challenges |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000489 |
| _version_ | 1797268899122642944 |
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| author | Andrés Velastegui-Montoya José Agustín García-Romero Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza Renata Pacheco Quevedo Christhian Santana-Cunha José I. Ochoa-Brito Mijail Arias-Hidalgo |
| author_facet | Andrés Velastegui-Montoya José Agustín García-Romero Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza Renata Pacheco Quevedo Christhian Santana-Cunha José I. Ochoa-Brito Mijail Arias-Hidalgo |
| author_sort | Andrés Velastegui-Montoya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Ecuador, the Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Project (CCSHP) provides 34 % of the country's energy demand. However, since its inauguration in 2016, regressive erosion in the Coca River has accelerated, causing the collapse of the San Rafael waterfall in 2020 and damage to oil and electricity infrastructure. This study aimed to assess the effects of regressive erosion along the Coca River through changes in land use and land cover (LULC) to identify the impact of CCSHP operations on migration, deposition, and river channel erosion during 2017–2021. The methodology includes: i) Creation of cloud-free mosaics with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery; ii) LULC classification LULC classification post-operation of the CCSHP (2017), before (2019) and after (2021) the San Rafael waterfall collapse, using the Random Forest algorithm; iii) Estimation of variations in the fluvial dynamics of the Coca River. The results showed that between 2017 and 2019, the extent of water bodies and bare soil increased by 258.58 ha (25 %) and 5195.45 ha (71 %), respectively. Meanwhile, between 2019 and 2021, the extent of sand deposits increased by 387.71 ha (42 %). These changes reflect an acceleration of regressive erosion since the construction and implementation of the CCSHP, information that can be used as an initial tool to analyze the impact of hydropower in the upper Amazon and strengthen environmental protection and risk management policies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:39:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3aed316c34494ae69a9fc770f44901cf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-0100 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:39:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Challenges |
| spelling | doaj.art-3aed316c34494ae69a9fc770f44901cf2024-03-08T05:19:55ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002024-04-0115100882Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project constructionAndrés Velastegui-Montoya0José Agustín García-Romero1Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza2Renata Pacheco Quevedo3Christhian Santana-Cunha4José I. Ochoa-Brito5Mijail Arias-Hidalgo6Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Centro de Investigación y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Corresponding author at: Centro de Investigación y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador.Facultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Dirección de Riesgos y Sostenibilidad Ambiental (DRSA), Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal del cantón Portoviejo, P.O. Box 130 108, Portoviejo, EcuadorFacultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Centro de Investigación y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, EcuadorEarth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), 12227010, São José Dos Campos, Brazil; Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, Avenida Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Travessa do Politécnico 380, São Paulo, 05508-010, São Paulo, Brazil.Postgraduate Program in Remote Sensing, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 91540-000, Porto Alegre, BrazilDepartment of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA; Spatial Informatics Group, LLC, 2529 Yolanda Ct., Pleasanton, CA, 94566, USAFacultad de Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Tierra, ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Centro de Agua y Desarrollo Sustentable (CADS), ESPOL Polytechnic University, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, EcuadorIn Ecuador, the Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Project (CCSHP) provides 34 % of the country's energy demand. However, since its inauguration in 2016, regressive erosion in the Coca River has accelerated, causing the collapse of the San Rafael waterfall in 2020 and damage to oil and electricity infrastructure. This study aimed to assess the effects of regressive erosion along the Coca River through changes in land use and land cover (LULC) to identify the impact of CCSHP operations on migration, deposition, and river channel erosion during 2017–2021. The methodology includes: i) Creation of cloud-free mosaics with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery; ii) LULC classification LULC classification post-operation of the CCSHP (2017), before (2019) and after (2021) the San Rafael waterfall collapse, using the Random Forest algorithm; iii) Estimation of variations in the fluvial dynamics of the Coca River. The results showed that between 2017 and 2019, the extent of water bodies and bare soil increased by 258.58 ha (25 %) and 5195.45 ha (71 %), respectively. Meanwhile, between 2019 and 2021, the extent of sand deposits increased by 387.71 ha (42 %). These changes reflect an acceleration of regressive erosion since the construction and implementation of the CCSHP, information that can be used as an initial tool to analyze the impact of hydropower in the upper Amazon and strengthen environmental protection and risk management policies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000489AmazonEnvironmental impactFluvial dynamicsHydropowerRandom forestRegressive erosion |
| spellingShingle | Andrés Velastegui-Montoya José Agustín García-Romero Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza Renata Pacheco Quevedo Christhian Santana-Cunha José I. Ochoa-Brito Mijail Arias-Hidalgo Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction Environmental Challenges Amazon Environmental impact Fluvial dynamics Hydropower Random forest Regressive erosion |
| title | Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| title_full | Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| title_fullStr | Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| title_short | Assessing regressive erosion effects: Unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| title_sort | assessing regressive erosion effects unveiling riverside land use land cover changes post hydroelectric project construction |
| topic | Amazon Environmental impact Fluvial dynamics Hydropower Random forest Regressive erosion |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010024000489 |
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