Abstract
Rapid population growth and intensifying human activities have driven significant changes in coastal plains. As one of the largest coastal plains in the world, the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain supports a huge population and provides numerous goods and ecological services to the human society. Spatial information on Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LULCC) is essential for accurate assessment of human impacts on the structure and functioning of coastal ecosystems in this region. In this study, the Florida Panhandle region was selected as a case to characterize and detect changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) in the Gulf Coastal Plain from 1985 to 2005. Landsat TM images in 1985, 1996 and 2005 were collected and processed to retrieve LULC information and to reflect temporal changes of major LULC types. Results indicated that urban areas expanded quickly and increased by about 79% from 1985 to 2005. Crop/pasture decreased from 1985 to 1996 but increased quickly during 1996-2005 by replacing large area of forestland in the eastern part of the study area. Forest/woody wetland increased from 1985 to 1996 but decreased in the later time period. Population growth and tree plantation were identified as the two major driving forces for LULCC in this area. Our results imply that urban sprawl and cropland/pasture expansion as well as tree plantation could potentially affect productivity, carbon and nutrient cycling, as well as water quality in coastal ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico. Uncertainties associated with satellite image classification and scale effect should be further addressed in future research.
Highlights
Coastal plain ecosystems are of critical importance in supporting the human society and increasing global population [1,2]
In the U.S, the coastal plains support more than 39% of the country’s populations they only account for about 10% of the total land area
There were some small streams and lakes in the study area, their areas were relatively negligible compared to other land cover types
Summary
Coastal plain ecosystems are of critical importance in supporting the human society and increasing global population [1,2]. It was estimated that there are approximately 1.2 billion people living within 100 km of the shoreline, and the population density in coastal plains area is two folds higher than the global average [4]. In the U.S, the coastal plains support more than 39% of the country’s populations they only account for about 10% of the total land area. Recent population projection indicated that population density in coastal areas of the South and Southeast U.S will continue to increase in the near future [5]. In addition to the economical roles, coastal plains are known as biodiversity hotspots [6]. Environmental gradients (elevation, water, soil salinity) from upland to coastal oceans create a series of habitats which support a variety of faunas and floras [7,8]
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