Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana
Ghana's coastline has been facing erosion and sedimentation phenomena for several decades, resulting in a serious threat to life and property considering that major urban settlements are located on the coast. In this region, there has been a lack of emphasis on comprehensive, large-scale invest...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110982324000085 |
| _version_ | 1797287640679055360 |
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| author | Valeria Di Biase Ramon F. Hanssen |
| author_facet | Valeria Di Biase Ramon F. Hanssen |
| author_sort | Valeria Di Biase |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ghana's coastline has been facing erosion and sedimentation phenomena for several decades, resulting in a serious threat to life and property considering that major urban settlements are located on the coast. In this region, there has been a lack of emphasis on comprehensive, large-scale investigations into coastal changes: prior research has predominantly centered on site-specific assessments. These studies have revealed alarming erosion rates, with reports indicating that nearly ten meters are lost annually. The use of high-resolution remotely sensed data can be a consistent support in regions where physical or economic obstacles interfere with collecting in situ information. In particular, the use of continuous all-weather SAR data may facilitate the evaluation of erosion and sedimentation phenomena in coastal areas. In this paper, we apply SAR data over a time period between 2017 and 2021. Sentinel-1 data are pre-processed using the Google Earth Engine platform, and a dedicated algorithm is then applied to identify and quantify erosion and sedimentation processes. Optical images are used as a reference for detecting the location of two areas where consistent sedimentation and erosion phenomena occurred in the considered four years. The results demonstrate that SAR backscattering variations over time offer a reliable method for monitoring coastal changes. This approach enables the identification of the type of phenomena occurring - sedimentation or erosion -, and allows for the quantification of their intensity and dimensions over time. The method can be worldwide applied once the appropriate thresholds are evaluated and help in predictive studies and environmental planning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:37:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-811e432ef23d4ab395dd64cca6a13d49 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1110-9823 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T18:37:21Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-811e432ef23d4ab395dd64cca6a13d492024-03-02T04:53:45ZengElsevierEgyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences1110-98232024-03-01271137145Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, GhanaValeria Di Biase0Ramon F. Hanssen1Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Corresponding author.Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN, Delft, The NetherlandsGhana's coastline has been facing erosion and sedimentation phenomena for several decades, resulting in a serious threat to life and property considering that major urban settlements are located on the coast. In this region, there has been a lack of emphasis on comprehensive, large-scale investigations into coastal changes: prior research has predominantly centered on site-specific assessments. These studies have revealed alarming erosion rates, with reports indicating that nearly ten meters are lost annually. The use of high-resolution remotely sensed data can be a consistent support in regions where physical or economic obstacles interfere with collecting in situ information. In particular, the use of continuous all-weather SAR data may facilitate the evaluation of erosion and sedimentation phenomena in coastal areas. In this paper, we apply SAR data over a time period between 2017 and 2021. Sentinel-1 data are pre-processed using the Google Earth Engine platform, and a dedicated algorithm is then applied to identify and quantify erosion and sedimentation processes. Optical images are used as a reference for detecting the location of two areas where consistent sedimentation and erosion phenomena occurred in the considered four years. The results demonstrate that SAR backscattering variations over time offer a reliable method for monitoring coastal changes. This approach enables the identification of the type of phenomena occurring - sedimentation or erosion -, and allows for the quantification of their intensity and dimensions over time. The method can be worldwide applied once the appropriate thresholds are evaluated and help in predictive studies and environmental planning.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110982324000085Coastal environmentChange detectionSARCoastal erosionSentinel-1 |
| spellingShingle | Valeria Di Biase Ramon F. Hanssen Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Sciences Coastal environment Change detection SAR Coastal erosion Sentinel-1 |
| title | Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana |
| title_full | Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana |
| title_short | Analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using Sentinel-1 SAR change detection: An application on the Volta Delta, Ghana |
| title_sort | analyzing coastal erosion and sedimentation using sentinel 1 sar change detection an application on the volta delta ghana |
| topic | Coastal environment Change detection SAR Coastal erosion Sentinel-1 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110982324000085 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT valeriadibiase analyzingcoastalerosionandsedimentationusingsentinel1sarchangedetectionanapplicationonthevoltadeltaghana AT ramonfhanssen analyzingcoastalerosionandsedimentationusingsentinel1sarchangedetectionanapplicationonthevoltadeltaghana |