Coastal reclamation shaped narrower and steeper tidal flats in Fujian, China: Evidence from time-series satellite data

摘要: As one of the most ecologically and economically important ecosystems, tidal flats are under severe threat from extensive coastal reclamation. The lack of time-series topographic data limits the understanding of the evolution of tidal flats under stress. Existing approaches to tidal flat topographic mapping are complex and weak in their representation of micro-geomorphic features. In this study, we propose a pixel-by-pixel inundation-based topographic mapping algorithm (PITMA) to accurately reconstruct tidal flat topography from full-time-series satellite imagery and to assess multi-decadal changes in the tidal flats of Fujian Province, which has undergone intensive coastal reclamation. The results show that the proposed algorithm can generate accurate tidal flat topography with an RMSE of 0.30 m in Fujian province. The total areas of tidal flats were 1311.27 km2, 1136.33 km2, and 1048.18 km2 in 2000, 2010, and …