Observation of the Coastal Areas, Estuaries and Deltas from Space

• Published in: Surveys in Geophysics 2023-10, Vol.44 (5), p.1309-1356
• Main Authors: Laignel, Benoit, Vignudelli, Stefano, Almar, Rafael, Becker, Mélanie, Bentamy, Abderrahim, Benveniste, Jérôme, Birol, Florence, Frappart, Frédéric, Idier, Deborah, Salameh, Edward, Passaro, Marcello, Menende, Melisa, Simard, Marc, Turki, Emma Imen, Verpoorter, Charles
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Bathymetry; Brackishwater environment; Climate change; Coastal currents; Coastal dynamics; Coastal flooding; Coastal storms; Coastal zone; Coastal zones; Deforestation; Deltas; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental Engineering; Environmental impact; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Sciences; Estuaries; Geography; Geomorphology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Human impact; Human influences; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrodynamics; Land cover; Land use; Moisture content; Monitoring; Observations and Techniques; Offshore; Physical characteristics; Physical properties; Remote sensing; River discharge; River flow; River runoff; Rivers; Runoff; Sciences of the Universe; Sea currents; Sea level; Sea level changes; Sea level rise; Sediment; Sediments; Shorelines; Socioeconomic aspects; Storm surges; Storms; Suspended sediments; Tidal waves; Tourism; Tourist activities; Urbanization; Vegetation; Vertical orientation; Water content; Water levels; Winds
• ISSN: 0169-3298; 1573-0956
• DOI: 10.1007/s10712-022-09757-6

Coastal regions (including estuaries and deltas) are very complex environments with diverse hydrodynamic and bio-geomorphological contexts and with important socio-economic and ecological problems. These systems are among the most affected by human impact through urbanization and port activities, industrial and tourism activities. They are directly affected by the impact of climate change on sea level, storm surges frequency and strength, as well as recurrence of coastal river floods. A sustainable future for coastal zones depends on our capacity to implement systematic monitoring with focus on: (1) forcings affecting coastal zones at different spatio-temporal scales (sea level rise, winds and waves, offshore and coastal currents, tides, storm surges, river runoff in estuaries and deltas, sediment supply and transport, vertical land motions and land use); (2) morphological response (e.g., shoreline migration, topographical changes). Over the last decades, remote sensing observations have contributed to major advances in our understanding of coastal dynamics. This paper provides an overview of these major advances to measure the main physical parameters for monitoring the coastal, estuarine and delta environments and their evolution, such as the water level and hydrodynamics near the shoreline, water/sediment contact (i.e., shoreline), shoreline position, topography, bathymetry, vertical land motion, bio-physical characteristics of sediments, water content, suspended sediment, vegetation, and land use and land cover.