The Impact of Land Reclamation on Esturine Environment in Lingding Bay, China

Abstract

Land reclamation process has a significant negative influence on the coastal environments. Landsat TM and OLI/TIRs data were utilized to detect land reclamation on the Lingding Bay coastal area since 1973 and its impact on LST in a decade interval from 1987 to 2016. VNIR spectral data were used to produce land use, impervious surfaces composition, and vegetation composition analysis; and TIR spectral data were used to retrieve LST of reclamation areas. It was found a total area of 270 square kilometres in Lingding Bay was added to the land surface during the study period. 92.5% of land reclamation areas’ land use was for agriculture purposes in 1987, and this percentage decreased to only 58.5% in 2016. For land use in urban areas, the LST over land reclamation areas was increased from 0.11°C in 1987 to 1.3C in 1997, 1.9C in 2007 and reached 2.4C above the water surface temperature average in 2016. To reduce the negative effects of land reclamation on LST, this study is strongly recommended the aqua-agriculture land use as the first option for land use on land reclamation areas. Besides, landscape composition and configuration have to be well considered in urban areas planning, by increasing green spaces, water surfaces, and sky-view.