Sustainable Development Of Coastal Zones Research Articles

Benefits and approaches of incorporating land–sea interactions into coastal spatial planning: evidence from Xiamen, China

As the land–sea interface, the coastal zone has become an increasingly key life-support system. However, it is also highly threatened by exposure to both ocean- and land-based human activities. The interdependencies of the land and sea systems require the integration of land and sea spatial planning to achieve sustainable development of coastal zones. There are different forms of land–sea spatial management integration globally. Whether a form can positively impact and how different institutional settings affect outcomes need further explanation. Therefore, this study explores the reasons for China’s planning integration through institutional reform by using the Graph Model for Conflicts Resolution and establishes a quantitative contradiction assessment method to examine whether this top-down institutional approach has played a role at the urban level. The results show that the planning of Xiamen city after reform has a lower total contradiction value, grid cell average and cell maximum value. This progress is made possible by unifying the land–sea spatial planning departments. The equilibrium solution of the Graph Model for Conflicts Resolution indicates that due to the different preferences of the land–sea management departments and the central-local governments, it is challenging to implement the Land–sea Coordination policy under separate land–sea management. By integrating land–sea management departments, deep-seated sectoral interests between horizontal departments do not remain. The impacts on integrated management of divergences in preferences of different vertical governments can be reduced. The research results provide a universal method for the contradiction evaluation and a management reference for other regions that want to integrate land–sea coordination into urban spatial planning.

Techno-economic feasibility of marine eco-parks driven by wave energy: A case study at the coastal arid region of Mexico

Coastal arid regions face significant challenges in ensuring energy, water, and food security. Given the urgency of meeting these demands, it is necessary to consider innovative solutions that enhance adaptive capacity and sustainable development of coastal zones. Harnessing wave energy has become a potential ocean renewable resource that can provide significant benefits to mitigating coastal vulnerability and climate change. However, most wave energy projects still face different challenges that limit their financing and commercial deployment. This paper aims to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of 0.5 MW Marine Ecoparks as maritime clusters coupled with wave energy converter, seawater desalination, and marine aquaculture modules to produce the water-energy-food nexus and boost, symbiotically, the viability of the wave energy sector and the blue economy in the arid coastal communities of Baja California, a Mexican Pacific region with a mid-wave energy resource. Based on technical and economic data available in the literature, the cost estimates and the contribution of each coupled module to the Marine Ecopark profitability were carried out and compared against other forms of energy generation using different current and projected 2030 market scenarios. All the cases analyzed show that the Pelamis device generates higher techno-economic performance than the WaveDragon. While individual wave energy devised siting is not profitable, economic scaling in increases maritime clusters' profitability. Optimally selected Pelamis facilities attain capacity factors over 40 % and a Levelized Cost of Energy of 480 $/MWh. The coupled seaweed aquaculture module generates the highest water-energy-food nexus profitability, whereas seawater desalination is not economically viable. All wave energy farms show a decrease in estimated electricity cost by 2030, reaching 198 USD/MWh for the most competitive Pelamis farms.

Forecasts of the Compound Coastal Erosion Risks Based on Time-Variant Assessment: A Case Study on Yunlin Coast, Taiwan

A coastal erosion risk assessment was framed as the basis for the intervention of coastal adaptation strategies under time-variant scenarios. The framework was devised to assess the influence of coastal erosion on coastal defense, the coastal inundation induced by the erosion-induced malfunction of defense, and risks using a downscaling analysis and the mechanism of the compound hazard interaction, which are innovative and practical for the application of coastal management in Taiwan. In addition, the vulnerable socio-economy was also taken into consideration in risk assessment. The adaptive strategy is proposed in terms of the risk origins and time-variance of risk forecasts, and the risk origins were assessed based on the Fuzzy Delphi Method and the analytic hierarchy process instead of subjective consideration. Within the erosion-induced hazard and risk assessments, this study considered erosion rates, decreases in defense elevation due to land subsidence, and population development in time-variant scenario analyses to estimate risk forecasts. Furthermore, a case study of the Yunlin coastal area was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The presented results are informative for coastal hazard reduction and the promotion of the sustainable development of coastal zones.

County-level environmental carrying capacity and spatial suitability of coastal resources: A case study of Zhuanghe, China

The coastal zone is a combination of marine and land ecosystems, which represents the core areas of resource utilization in China. The sustainable development of coastal zones should be based on a deep understanding of their resources. Compared with Europe and North America, knowledge of coastal zone resources is more fragmented in China. In recent years, China has used quantitative models to realize integrated coastal zone management, but the theoretical basis and research methods remained incomplete. To this end, we developed an assessment framework for coastal zone territorial space resources, environmental carrying capacity, and spatial suitability from an integrated coastal zone management perspective. We tested this framework in Zhuanghe City, which is located within the Northeast Asian Economic Circle. The results show that the coastal resources and environmental carrying capacity of Zhuanghe City are mainly in a critical state. Land space in the coastal zone is mainly suitable for development, but the functional suitability of different regions significantly differs as more suitable urban areas are clustered on the coastal plain. The proportion of suitable space for agricultural production is ~50.51% and is mostly concentrated on the eastern coastal plain. The proportion of space with high ecological suitability is 14.17%, but it is concentrated in the northern mountainous area; there is low space for high value fishery production. Evaluation of coastline function shows that coastline suitable for production occupies a relatively high proportion, with a length of ~230.63 km, accounting for 80.92% of the total length of the Zhuanghe coastline. The ecological coastline of Zhuanghe City is occupied by industrial development and urban construction; suitable and unsuitable areas overlap and coastline development functions conflict with each other. Therefore, the coastal zone of Zhuanghe City is under great pressure. In China, coastal cities are the final link of integrated coastal zone management. Our research reveals a previously unreported critical situation in the coastal area of Zhuanghe City, especially in terms of fishery and shoreline utilization, which is worrisome in view of the reported production capacity of the city. Our results offer a reference for improving coastal management practices with the aim of alleviating the conflict between spatial development and protection in coastal areas.

Monitoring Wetland Landscape Evolution Using Landsat Time-Series Data: A Case Study of the Nantong Coast, China

Coastal wetlands not only have rich biodiversity and high productivity but also provide important ecological services. The monitoring of landscape changes can provide important support for the sustainable development of coastal zones. Landsat images from 1986 to 2017 were used to interpret the types of coastal wetlands in Nantong. A single dynamic degree and multiple landscape indices were calculated to analyze the rate of change and characteristics of each wetland type. The results demonstrate the following: (1) A Nantong wetland type system was established, which was divided into three major categories and eleven subcategories. (2) In general, natural wetlands, such as thatched and Suaedasalsa marshes, were extremely reduced, while artificial wetlands and non-wetlands with high human activity, such as breeding ponds, farmland, and construction land, increased significantly. (3) In the past 30 years, due to the influence of environmental pressures, such as population growth, land demand, and economic development, the major influencing factors of local landscape change have shifted from natural geographical factors to human activities and economic as well as social factors. Remote sensing wetland interpretation can be very helpful in monitoring the dynamic changes in coastal wetlands and can provide scientific support for the sustainable management of coastal zones.

Marine floating raft aquaculture extraction of hyperspectral remote sensing images based decision tree algorithm

• The HSI-FRA (Hyperspectral remote sensing index for floating-raft aquaculture) has been constructed. • The decision tree model is designed by combining MNDWI and prior knowledge. • The proposed method is suitable for extracting floating-raft aquaculture in coastal areas of high suspended matter. The accurate extraction and mapping of floating raft aquaculture (FRA) is significant to the scientific management and sustainable development of coastal zones. However, the current relevant methods rely on large sample size and complex classifiers, which have poor generalization ability and thus are not suitable for large-scale application. To address these issues, this study proposes a new hyperspectral index based on remote sensing images, namely hyperspectral index for floating raft aquaculture (HSI-FRA). Based on the analysis of the spectral information, the HSI-FRA utilizes four bands at 580 nm, 740 nm, 1040 nm, and 1290 nm, respectively, to enhance the spectral difference between the floating raft aquaculture and the seawater through band calculation, and constructs the extraction index of the floating raft aquaculture. Using the HSI-FRA, a decision tree classification process is carried out to realize the extraction of floating raft aquaculture information. The extraction accuracy in the three study areas of Dayu Bay of Zhejiang Province, Fengwei Town of Fujian Province and Chao'an Bay of Guangdong Province is 94.3%, 95.5% and 91.44%, respectively, which has Larger advantage than those of traditional methods. The experimental results show that the proposed method is simple, fast and accurate at separating the floating raft aquacultures in an offshore complex marine environment.

Preface

The Conference “Sustainable Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Zone in Vietnam: Challenges and Prospects” (VMECZ 2021) was held in a hybrid format (virtual and on-site) on December 29th 2021. It was organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City in collaboration with the Institute of Sea and Island Studies, which is part of the General Administration of Vietnam’s Seas and Islands.Due to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, VMECZ 2021 was rescheduled from November 26-27, 2021 to a later date in December. Ten keynote speakers were selected to present their work in the morning and afternoon sessions, which lasted approximately 5-6 hours and included 1.5 hours of Q&A and discussion. Zoom was used as the platform which allowed Q&A interactions with the audiences during streaming.The conference (both the Vietnamese and English segments) received over 70 papers of scientific, theoretical, and practical importance from across Vietnam and attracted more than 200 attendees. After a thorough evaluation process, 11 full papers were selected from researchers with a variety of expertise from governmental agencies, universities, and research institutions across Vietnam. All scientific submissions were peer-reviewed and featured a broad spectrum of cutting-edge research subjects, such as identifying new challenges in theory and practice of maritime environmental governance and sustainable development in coastal zones, introducing new achievements, promoting latest research on sustainable socio-economic development, proposing novel solutions, as well as new economic and social models that maximize the potential and benefits of the seas and islands.List of Location of Organizer, Sponsors, Committees are available in this pdf.

Continuous Change Mapping to Understand Wetland Quantity and Quality Evolution and Driving Forces: A Case Study in the Liao River Estuary from 1986 to 2018

Coastal wetland ecosystems, one of the most important ecosystems in the world, play an important role in regulating climate, sequestering blue carbon, and maintaining sustainable development of coastal zones. Wetland landscapes are notoriously difficult to map with satellite data, particularly in highly complex, dynamic coastal regions. The Liao River Estuary (LRE) wetland in Liaoning Province, China, has attracted major attention due to its status as Asia’s largest coastal wetland, with extensive Phragmites australis (reeds), Suaeda heteroptera (seepweed, red beach), and other natural resources that have been continuously encroached upon by anthropogenic land-use activities. Using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm and all available Landsat images, we mapped the spatial–temporal changes of LRE coastal wetlands (e.g., seepweed, reed, tidal flats, and shallow marine water) annually from 1986 to 2018 and analyzed the changes and driving forces. Results showed that the total area of coastal wetlands in the LRE shrank by 14.8% during the study period. The tidal flats were the most seriously affected type, with 45.7% of its total area lost. One of the main characteristics of wetland change was the concurrent disappearance and emergence of wetlands in different parts of the LRE, creating drastically different mixtures of wetland quality (e.g., wetland age composition) in addition to area change. The reduction and replacement/translocation of coastal wetlands were mainly caused by human activities related to urbanization, tourism, land reclamation, and expansion of aquaculture ponds. Our efforts in mapping annual changes of wetlands provide direct, specific, and spatially explicit information on rates, patterns, and causes of coastal wetland change, both in coverage and quality, so as to contribute to the effective plans and policies for coastal management, preservation, and restoration of coastal ecosystem services.

Impact of Port Construction on the Spatial Pattern of Land Use in Coastal Zones Based on CLDI and LUT Models: A Case Study of Qingdao and Yantai

Ports are an important type of land use in coastal cities, and the development of ports has a significant influence on the spatial pattern of land use in port cities. However, the research focusing on economic indicators hardly reflects the process of changes in the spatial distribution of land development in coastal port cities. This paper introduces a spatial association rule method to establish a coastline and land development intensity (CLDI) model and land use transfer (LUT) model in the vertical direction of coastal zones to mine the association rules between shoreline change and land development intensity along the sea–land gradient in the Qingdao and Yantai coastal zones and to explore the important land development sequence patterns. The results showed that, in the early stage of regional development, the land development intensity decreased from sea to land. In the later stage, as the industry transferred to nearby towns, the land units with extremely strong and strong levels started to move to the end or middle of the sequence. With the improvement of the urban construction level, the simple LUT pattern sequence that increased building land through the occupation of cultivated land and forestland was replaced gradually by complex sequences with multiple components. The relationship between land development and distance from the port showed that the areas with strong land development intensity gradually moved from coastal to inland areas over time. Port shipping has a profound influence on port city land use patterns. Industrial transfer drives the development of surrounding towns during the metaphase. This trend was used to build a second port to realize the division of transportation capacity, as the old port’s carrying capacity tended to become saturated. This paper revealed the general changes in the important land use patterns in port areas through a comparative study of the Qingdao and Yantai port areas and the differences among different geographical locations and development processes. This study provides a reference for the rational planning of coastal zone spatial layouts and provides a model basis for the analysis of the spatial structure of coastal zones. This information can be used to coordinate the relationship between ports and cities and promote the sustainable development of coastal zones.

Ecosystem service multifunctionality assessment and coupling coordination analysis with land use and land cover change in China's coastal zones

Ecosystem services (ESs) have received widespread attention worldwide for their potential to solve sustainability issues. However, extensive land use and land cover change (LUCC) driven by human activities has raised concerns regarding its impacts on ESs, especially in coastal zones. More importantly, spatial–temporal changes, their coupling relationships with LUCC, and their underlying drivers have not been thoroughly analyzed. This study focuses on China's coastal zones to investigate the spatial–temporal changes of ecosystem service multifunctionality (ESM) from 2000 to 2018. Coupling coordination degree (CCD) analysis of the relationship between ESM and comprehensive intensity of land use was applied to identify coastal cities with low-level coordination and their main drivers in 2018. The results show that: (1) the proportion with high levels of ESM decreased by 1.01% from 2000 to 2010 and then increased by 3.29% from 2010 to 2018; (2) the ESM of China's coastal zones present significant spatial heterogeneity, and the low levels of ESM are mainly distributed in the north and urban areas, while most areas in the southern coastal zones have high levels of ESM; (3) forest land is the leading land cover type for ESM, and China's forest conservation policies significantly contribute to the increase in ESM; (4) the CCD of most cities in the southern coastal zones, apart from Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta, is at a relatively high level and experiences no significant changes, while most cities in the northern coastal zones display an improving trend; (5) the land use type, landform type, and leaf area index are the determinants of ESM, and the annual average temperature, population density, and surface elevation are the greatest influences on the CCD. The findings of this study can inform ecological conservation and landscape planning and are beneficial to the sustainable development of coastal zones in China.

Sustainable coastal zone management of Strymonikos Gulf: implementation of the analytic hierarchy process through an application designed using the programming language C# (sharp)

Coastal areas are of interest as they usually include a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems, as well as many important economic activities. Human coastal population increases continually and consequently, there is much stress from all settlements and economic activities to coastal zones. A proposed methodological approach for coastal management plans' environmental strategic evaluation, in the context of sustainable coastal zone management, is described. Therefore, alternative management scenarios for the examined area of the coastal zone of Strymonikos Gulf, are presented. The selection of the prevailing alternative proposal is made through the process of multi-criteria analysis and more specifically, with the aid of the analytic hierarchy process. For the implementation of the suggested multicriteria method, within the context of coastal zone sustainable development, a program in programming language C# (sharp) was designed, in order to help researchers with the selection of the best alternative scenario.

Research Progress on Coastline Change in China

Fan, Q.; Liang, L.; Liang, F., and Sun, X., 2020. Research progress on coastline change in China. In: Zheng, C.W.; Wang, Q.; Zhan, C., and Yang, S.B. (eds.), Air-Sea Interaction and Coastal Environments of the Maritime and Polar Silk Roads. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 99, pp. 289–10. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.A coastline is an ecologically sensitive area at the land–water interface. Coastline change has an important impact on regional ecology, economy, and society. China has a long coastline and its coastal zone is among the fastest developing regions in the world. An effective understanding of Chinese coastline changes can aid sustainable development in China and surrounding areas. In this paper, we reviewed the literature of coastline changes in China through the end of 2018. Through literature analysis, the coastline change research in China can be divided into three stages: a start-up stage, an exploration period, and a developmental period. Ancient maps, traditional actual trace measurements, ancient sea level markers, remote-sensing images, and Light Detection and Ranging technology are the main data sources of coastline research. From the research content, the coastline change literature in China mainly focuses on the analysis of space–time changes and coastline driving forces. There is also limited literature on coastline change prediction, which mainly refers to the shape and location of coastline change. The next stage, the relationship between coastline change and the environment, is the focus of future research. This study provides a relatively comprehensive review of coastline changes in China that may have a certain significance for the study of these changes in China and perhaps the world. It can serve as a basis for developing scientific and reasonable policies for sustainable development in coastal zones.

Ecological responses to the coastal exploitation of urban agglomerations along the Pearl River Estuary

With the rapid development of urban agglomerations in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), an increasing number of ecological problems have been exposed to the surrounding coastal zones. The timely and accurate understanding of the eco-environment in PRE has become of increasing concern. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate multi-temporal eco-environment conditions and then detect the conflicting patterns of the eco-environment under the influence of coastal exploitation in PRE. The ecological index was derived from remote sensing images by means of principal component analysis, and the composite coastal development index was then constructed to characterize the coastal exploitation from the perspective of ecological influence, which was implemented by using the panel data analysis. This method was verified with a significant test accuracy of 0.9. Based on this, the coupling coordination patterns of the coastal economy–environment system were disclosed for all six prefectural units at both the pixel scale and the city scale. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree and inner coupling relationships in each city presented periodical characteristics, with the highest values in 2008 and the lowest values in 1988. The dominant conflict between coastal exploitation and the eco-environment in each period was capricious. This evaluation will provide a reference for decision-making in coastal zone planning and ecological red line policy to encourage the sustainable development of coastal zones.

Oceans without History? Marine Cultural Heritage and the Sustainable Development Agenda

This paper aims to set out the role Marine Cultural Heritage (MCH) can play in informing responses to global challenges and enhancing the sustainable development of coastal zones. This requires recognition of the importance of MCH as a knowledge base amongst marine ocean scientists, policy makers and marine stakeholders on the one hand and a greater effort by marine heritage specialists to engage with the 2030 Agenda on the other. The forthcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) provides an opportunity to engage with the sea more widely but it is argued that the cultural element provided by considering past human action is currently lacking. The importance of understanding human interaction with the sea in terms of gaining a more complete picture of human history is briefly presented and a definition of MCH as all past action in the human zone is given. The article then sets out how MCH can enhance sustainable development in the marine zone with particular reference to SDG14 considering heritage tourism, coastal development and infrastructure, development aid policy, climate change, coastal management, fisheries and the offshore industry. The article highlights that the knowledge and data from MCH should be seen as crucial in evidence-based decision making across the coastal and marine sectors. The paper concludes that the inclusion of MCH approaches in initiatives aiming at coastal and ocean sustainability is not just advisable—it is essential.

Dynamic process and artificial mechanism of coastline change in the Pearl River Estuary

The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) is a window into the drastic changes that occurred throughout coastal areas due to artificial agglomeration following China’s 1978 economic reform. In this study, multi-temporal Landsat remote sensing images were used to extract coastlines in the PRE with the support vector machine (SVM). In addition, the coastline was divided into nine segments by using the eight mouths as the cut-off points. A statistical analysis was performed on the length and changes of each coastline segment. The analysis was focused on the five shores that exhibited obvious changes. Subsequently, a correlation analysis between three artificial development factors, namely, the development intensity, development speed, and development density, and the shoreline length was conducted, following which the main driving factors influencing the changes in the coastline were obtained. Finally, the dynamic processes and artificial mechanisms of the coastline changes in the PRE were deeply analyzed. The results reveal that the coastline has been gradually advancing over a distance of 164.01 km toward the sea over the past 40 years, and the growth rate initially showed a rapidly increasing trend in 1978 but has since slowed from 1998 to the present. The most significant changes were detected along the Hutiao Men–Jiti Men and Jiti Men–Modao Men shore areas due to the impacts of human activities. The development speed presented dominant influence on coastline change at the end of the 20th century, but the development intensity was the primary influence factor during the early 21st century. To a certain extent, the monitoring and analysis of historical coastline changes can contribute to coastal zone planning in more detail, thereby promoting the sustainable development of coastal zones.

Multidisciplinary tools for sustainable management of an ecosystem service: The case study of mussel farming in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Mediterranean, Ionian Sea)

This paper describes the development of multidisciplinary simulation tools based on a system approach, and its contribution to local political debate on sustainable shellfish farming in a Mediterranean coastal site (Mar Piccolo of Taranto, Ionian Sea). Remote sensing images were used for the first time to count mussel culture plants and to validate information provided by stakeholders and farmers. The data obtained were even more important considering the lack of reliable official statistics. Further, a model was developed to simulate exploratory scenarios. In the modelling platform, the ecosystem and individual mussel growth models (built in the frame of the EU Integrated Project SPICOSA, Science and Policy Integration for Coastal System Assessment) are combined with the Mussel Farm Model (MFM). The simulated scenarios suggested that: 1. Farming is unsustainable, because it exceeds the system carrying capacity; 2. Plant overloading is exacerbated by the negative effects of recurrent heatwaves; 3. Sustainable management measures should be applied to obtain individuals of good quality as well as to extend the juveniles sale period and cope with climate crises. The results show that the described tools may help in the design of viable policies based on operational objectives and feasible technical options. Since until now, production trends cannot be determined based on natural and social factors alone, once applied, this tool will allow for a more exemplary production system. It could also become a good practice example towards a more sustainable development of coastal zones.

Detection and discrimination of aquacultural facilities in Matsushima Bay, Japan, for integrated coastal zone management and marine spatial planning using full polarimetric L-band airborne synthetic aperture radar

ABSTRACTIntegrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and marine spatial planning (MSP) have been proposed for sustainable development of coastal zones. To implement ICZM and MSP, there is a need to establish database and informational networks to collect, share and disseminate information of the present situation of coastal zones. One permanent and concentrated use of coastal zones is hosting aquacultural facilities. This study aimed to develop a method to detect and discriminate aquacultural facilities in Matsushima Bay, Japan, using L-band polarimetric and interferometric airborne synthetic aperture radar (Pi-SAR-L2). Three-component-scattering model and eigenvalue–eigenvector decomposition were applied. The volume-scattering component images of the three-component-scattering model showed raft, longline, and rack aquacultural facilities from the sea surface in good contrast. The double-bounce-scattering component percentage discriminated rack aquacultural facilities from raft and longline aquacultural facilities. The size difference in the raft and longline aquacultural facilities was helpful for discriminating the type.

Beyond sectoral management: Enhancing Taiwan's coastal management framework through a new dedicated law

Sectoral management has long dominated the use of coastal zones in Taiwan. This approach addresses concerns faced by individual sectors. However, it fails to offer a holistic view to see the whole picture of interactions between various uses as well as a mechanism to engage in coordination among sectors and between levels of governments. In order to solve this failure, Taiwan's government stipulated a new dedicated law, the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), in 2015 to supplement existing sectoral management and promote sustainable development of coastal zones in an integrated way. This paper aims to examine Taiwan's coastal management framework with an emphasis on the CZMA. It specifically illustrates the practical application of the CZMA on offshore wind farms, which have recently gained momentum in Taiwan's pursuit of renewable energy. Finally, while the paper argues that the CZMA is conducive to an enhanced coastal management framework, it identifies areas deserving attention and proposed recommendations, including: encouraging public participation, employing living shoreline installations wherever appropriate, enhancing human resource capacity and conducting a complete survey of coastal resources so as to make an overall coastal spatial plan.

The Study of the Coastal Management Criteria Based on Risk Assessmeant: A Case Study on Yunlin Coast, Taiwan

In this study, we used the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of a coastal region to generate risk maps showing vulnerability and potential hazards, and proposed design criteria for coastal defense and land use for the various kinds of risks faced. The Yunlin coast, a first-level protection area in mid-west Taiwan, was then used as an example to illustrate the proposed design criteria. The safety of the present coastal defenses and land use of the Yunlin coastal area was assessed, and coastal protection measures for hazard prevention were proposed based on the generated risk map. The results can be informative for future coastal management and the promotion of sustainable development of coastal zones.

Detecting Coastline Change with All Available Landsat Data over 1986–2015: A Case Study for the State of Texas, USA

Coastline change often results from social and natural factors, such as human activities in the coastal zone, long-term and short-term sea level change, hurricane occurrences, subsequent recovery, and so on. Tracking coastline change is essential to deepen our understanding of coastal responses to these factors. Such information is also required for land use planning and sustainable development of coastal zones. In this context, we aimed to collect all available Landsat data (TM: Thematic Mapper, ETM+: Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus and OLI: Operational Land Imager) over 1986–2015 for tracking the coastline dynamic and estimating its change rate in the State of Texas, USA. First, the land vs. water maps at an annual scale were derived from the satellite images. The border between land and water represents the coastline in this study. Second, the annual land area was obtained to characterize the coastline dynamic and a linear regression model was used for estimating the change rate. We also analyzed the potential driving factors of the observed coastline change. The results reveal that the coastline in the State of Texas changed at a rate of −0.154 ± 0.063 km2/year from 1986 to 2015, which indicates that the coastline has mainly experienced an erosion over the past three decades. Specifically, 52.58% of the entire coastline retreated to the land while a 47.42% portion advanced to the ocean. Long-term sea level rise can result in the erosion of coastline. Hurricane occurrences can explain the relatively strong coastline erosion. Besides, significant difference between the coastline change rate with a higher curvature and a lower curvature was observed. This study establishes a general method for detecting coastline change at large spatial and long-term temporal scales, by using remote sensing that can give fundamental information on coastline change. This is important for making scientific and reasonable policies of sustainable development of coastal zones.