RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Detecting areas vulnerable to sand encroachment using remote sensing and GIS techniques in Nouakchott, Mauritania
A1 Gómez, Diego
A1 Salvador González, Pablo
A1 Sanz Justo, María Julia
A1 Casanova Roque, Carlos
A1 Casanova Roque, José Luis
K1 Coherence change detection
K1 GIS
K1 Preventive measures
K1 Sand encroachment
K1 Vulnerability
K1 22 Física
K1 2213 Termodinámica
AB Sand dune advances poses a major threat to inhabitants and local authorities in the area of Nouakchott, Mauritania. Despite efforts to control dune mobility, accurate and adequate local studies are still needed to tackle sand encroachment. We have developed a Sand Dune Encroachment Vulnerability Index (SDEVI) to assess Nouakchott’s vulnerability to sand dune encroachment. Said index is based on the geo-physical characteristics of the area (wind direction and intensity, slope and surface height, land use, vegetation or soil properties) with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques that can support local authorities and decision-makers in implementing preventive measures or reducing impact on the population and urban infrastructures. In order to validate this new index, we use two remote sensing approaches: optical-Sentinel 2 and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)–Sentinel 1 data. Results show that the greatest vulnerability is located in the north-eastern part of Nouakchott, where local conditions favor the advance of sand in the city, although medium to high values are also found in the eastern part. Optical images enabled us to distinguish desert sand using the ratio between near infrared/blue bands, and SAR Coherence Change Detection (CCD) imagery was used to assess the degree of stability of those sand bodies. The nature of the SDEVI index allows us to currently assess which areas are vulnerable to sand encroachment since we use long data records. Nevertheless, optical and SAR remote sensing allow sand evolution to be monitored on a near real-time basis.
PB MDPI
SN 2072-4292
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/57904
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/57904
LA eng
NO Remote Sensing, 2018, vol. 10, n. 10, p. 1541
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 27-jun-2024