Intertidal topography mapping using the waterline method from Sentinel-1 & -2 images: The examples of Arcachon and Veys Bays in France

Abstract

Intertidal flats lying as a buffer zone between land and sea provide critical services including protection against storm surges and coastal flooding. These environments are characterized by a continuous redistribution of sediment and changes in topography. Sea level rise, anthropogenic pressures, and their related stressors have a considerable impact on these areas and are expected to put them under more stress; hence the increased need for frequent and updated topography maps. Comparing to traditional surveying approaches, spaceborne remote sensing is able to provide topography maps more frequently with a lower cost and a higher coverage. The latter is currently considered as an established tool for measuring intertidal topography. In this study, an improved approach of the waterline method was developed to derive intertidal Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The changes include a faster, more efficient and quasi-automatic detection and post-processing of waterlines. The edge detection technique consists in combining a k-means based segmentation and an active contouring procedure. This method was designed to generate closed contours in order to enable an automatization of the post-processing of the extracted waterlines. The waterlines were extracted from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images for two bays located on the French Coast: the Arcachon lagoon and the Bay of Veys. DEMs were generated for the Arcachon Bay between 2015 and 2018, and for the Bay of Veys between 2016 and 2018 using satellite acquisitions made during summer (low storm activity period). The comparison of the generated DEMs with lidar observations showed an error of about 19–25 cm. This study also demonstrated that the waterline method applied to Sentinel images is suitable for monitoring the morpho-sedimentary evolution in intertidal areas. By comparing the DEMs generated between 2016 and 2018, the Arcachon Bay and the Bay of Veys experienced net volume losses of 1.12 × 106 m3 and 0.70 × 106 m3 respectively. The generated DEMs provide useful and needed information for several scientific applications (e.g., sediment balance, hydrodynamic modelling), but also for authorities and stakeholders for coastal management and implementation of ecosystem protection policies.