Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation
Abstract Increasing population size and economic dependence on the coastal zone, coupled with the growing need for residential, agricultural, industrial, commercial and green space infrastructure, are key drivers of land reclamation. Until now, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the globa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Earth's Future |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002927 |
| _version_ | 1797895040834469888 |
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| author | Dhritiraj Sengupta Young Rae Choi Bo Tian Sally Brown Michael Meadows Christopher R. Hackney Abhishek Banerjee Yingjie Li Ruishan Chen Yunxuan Zhou |
| author_facet | Dhritiraj Sengupta Young Rae Choi Bo Tian Sally Brown Michael Meadows Christopher R. Hackney Abhishek Banerjee Yingjie Li Ruishan Chen Yunxuan Zhou |
| author_sort | Dhritiraj Sengupta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Increasing population size and economic dependence on the coastal zone, coupled with the growing need for residential, agricultural, industrial, commercial and green space infrastructure, are key drivers of land reclamation. Until now, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the global distribution of land use on reclaimed space at the coast. Here, we analyze Landsat satellite imagery from 2000 to 2020 to quantify the spatial extent, scale, and land use of urban coastal reclamation for 135 cities with populations in excess of 1 million. Findings indicate that 78% (106/135) of these major coastal cities have resorted to reclamation as a source of new ground, contributing a total 253,000 ha of additional land to the Earth's surface in the 21st century, equivalent to an area the size of Luxembourg. Reclamation is especially prominent in East Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, followed by Western Europe and West Africa. The most common land uses on reclaimed spaces are port extension (>70 cities), followed by residential/commercial (30 cities) and industrial (19 cities). While increased global trade and the rapid urbanization have driven these uses, we argue that a city's prestigious place‐making effort to gain global reputation is emerging as another major driver underlying recent reclamation projects to create tourist and green spaces Meanwhile, the study suggests that 70% of recent reclamation has occurred in areas identified as potentially exposed to extreme sea level rise (SLR) by 2100 and this presents a significant challenge to sustainable development at the coast. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:19:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dce0b9a850c94471b7ed629f59eb92b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2328-4277 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:19:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth's Future |
| spelling | doaj.art-dce0b9a850c94471b7ed629f59eb92b32023-02-24T17:18:32ZengWileyEarth's Future2328-42772023-02-01112n/an/a10.1029/2022EF002927Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land ReclamationDhritiraj Sengupta0Young Rae Choi1Bo Tian2Sally Brown3Michael Meadows4Christopher R. Hackney5Abhishek Banerjee6Yingjie Li7Ruishan Chen8Yunxuan Zhou9School of Geography and Environmental Sceicnes University of Southampton, Highfeild Campus Southampton UKDepartment of Global and Sociocultural Studies Florida International University FL Miami USAState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research East China Normal University Shanghai ChinaSchool of Engineering University of Southampton Boldrewood Innovation Campus Southampton UKDepartment of Environmental & Geographical Science University of Cape Town Cape Town South AfricaSchool of Geography, Politics and Sociology Newcastle University Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne UKState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaNatural Capital Project Stanford University CA Stanford USASchool of Design Shanghai Jiaotong University Shanghai ChinaState Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research East China Normal University Shanghai ChinaAbstract Increasing population size and economic dependence on the coastal zone, coupled with the growing need for residential, agricultural, industrial, commercial and green space infrastructure, are key drivers of land reclamation. Until now, there has been no comprehensive assessment of the global distribution of land use on reclaimed space at the coast. Here, we analyze Landsat satellite imagery from 2000 to 2020 to quantify the spatial extent, scale, and land use of urban coastal reclamation for 135 cities with populations in excess of 1 million. Findings indicate that 78% (106/135) of these major coastal cities have resorted to reclamation as a source of new ground, contributing a total 253,000 ha of additional land to the Earth's surface in the 21st century, equivalent to an area the size of Luxembourg. Reclamation is especially prominent in East Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, followed by Western Europe and West Africa. The most common land uses on reclaimed spaces are port extension (>70 cities), followed by residential/commercial (30 cities) and industrial (19 cities). While increased global trade and the rapid urbanization have driven these uses, we argue that a city's prestigious place‐making effort to gain global reputation is emerging as another major driver underlying recent reclamation projects to create tourist and green spaces Meanwhile, the study suggests that 70% of recent reclamation has occurred in areas identified as potentially exposed to extreme sea level rise (SLR) by 2100 and this presents a significant challenge to sustainable development at the coast.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002927coastsland reclamationremote sensingsea level riseanthropoceneland use |
| spellingShingle | Dhritiraj Sengupta Young Rae Choi Bo Tian Sally Brown Michael Meadows Christopher R. Hackney Abhishek Banerjee Yingjie Li Ruishan Chen Yunxuan Zhou Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation Earth's Future coasts land reclamation remote sensing sea level rise anthropocene land use |
| title | Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation |
| title_full | Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation |
| title_fullStr | Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation |
| title_short | Mapping 21st Century Global Coastal Land Reclamation |
| title_sort | mapping 21st century global coastal land reclamation |
| topic | coasts land reclamation remote sensing sea level rise anthropocene land use |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002927 |
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