Time series of flood mapping in the Mekong Delta using high resolution satellite images

D A Dinh,P Leinenkugel,A Newton,B Elmahrad

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/266/1/012011

Abstract

The Mekong Delta, located in Southern Vietnam, is one of the most affected areas in the world by climate change and sea level rises, especially flooding. Therefore, flood mapping is essential for understanding the flood regime and mitigating its impacts. Remote sensing and GIS can support the accurate and area wide evaluation of floods. In this study, high spatial resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical data were used to generate a dense satellite data time series for analysing the spatio-temporal patterns of flooding in the Mekong Delta. To derive water masks, a total of 777 Sentinel-1, 515 Sentinel-2 and 57 Landsat-8 scenes were used to generate cloud free water masks at a 10m spatial resolution in regular 10-day intervals throughout the observation period of hydrological years 2016-2017. The results show a spatial explicit information on the core zones of the seasonal flooding processes for the entire Mekong Delta and their effect of using floodwater for rice cultivation. The outcome maps provide an overall understanding of Mekong Delta flood patterns and many valuable information for policymakers and water resources managers.

Highlights

A flood occurs when excess water upstream flows over river banks or dikes to the floodplain, especially, when the water flow submerges area that is generally dry
In the official climate change and sea level rise report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it is estimated that 21%, 28.2% and 38.9% of the Mekong Delta area will be flooded if the sea level increases by 80cm, 90cm and 100cm respectively [9]
It can be seen that the water begins to spread over the northern floodplains of the Mekong Delta coming from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia

Summary

Introduction

A flood occurs when excess water upstream flows over river banks or dikes to the floodplain, especially, when the water flow submerges area that is generally dry. Flooding is increasing in frequency and magnitude along with sea level rise, seasonal tropical storms and high tides in the Mekong Delta [1]. The Mekong Delta has been identified as one of the most sensitive and exposed regions to climate change and sea level rise phenomena [8]. In the official climate change and sea level rise report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it is estimated that 21%, 28.2% and 38.9% of the Mekong Delta area will be flooded if the sea level increases by 80cm, 90cm and 100cm respectively [9]. Floods often impact large regions, which are difficult to access from

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Results

Conclusion