期刊名称：ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
印刷版ISSN：2194-9042
电子版ISSN：2194-9050
出版年度：2004
卷号：XXXV Part B7
页码：1176-1180
出版社：Copernicus Publications
摘要：In the wake of Earth Summit – 2002 resolutions, and also the recently omni-prevalent environmental awareness across the globe, it has become imperative to pay attention to environmental concerns, and to standardize the procedures, wherever possible. A big step in this direction was the development of Environmental Sensitivity Indices (based on different events and parameters). NOAA and USEPA have taken lead on this front in USA and have got developed Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) for coastal areas, and Reach Sensitivity Index (RSI) for inland riparian and lacustrine areas, which have become bench, marks for further research in this direction. The present paper focuses on the application of remote sensing and GIS technologies for deriving the RSI and ESI; and also the validity of the indices in the context of a tropical country like India. Kakinada Bay situated in the east coast of India is made up of estuary of river Godavari covers an area of about 29.sq.kms. The Godavari delta has undergone phases of erosion and accretion through fluvial and marine changes during its growth in recent times. The delta with rich alluvial soil support multiple cropping pattern providing relatively high crop yields. The bay is fringed on the southern side by mud flats and thick mangrove swamps. The Kakinada spit present on the eastern side of the bay running north south in direction acts as artificial embankment. Its shoreline habitats include mangrove swamps, tidal flats, channels and shallow bar built bay towards north. The mangrove is represented by 15 species belonging to 8 families and 10 genera Duke (1992) besides represented by wide range of invertebrates. Being rich in petroleum and natural gas deposits, this area faces potential threat, in the event of floating slicks running ashore. Results of the present paper examine the proximity and vulnerability of this area with the help of both ESI and RSI to prioritize the areas base on potential threat. Digital analysis of IRS-1D (LISS-III) satellite data was carried out for deriving the land use / land cover, and allied shoreline and fluvial surfaces information, which were again validated with sample ground checks. The rectified maps were converted into vector coverage for further analysis. Other collateral information like shoreline type, tidal elevation, intensity of tidal energy, biological richness etc. were collected through insitu observations and secondary sources. The insitu and secondary data were integrated in spatial framework in GIS environment for analysis. The GIS analysis was performed with rule-bases separately, one each for ESI and another for RSI. The RSI results categorized the study area into zones of higher vulnerability, namely 8, 9 and 10 besides a low sensitive zone of 2. The ESI ranking is based on relative exposure to wave and tidal energy, shoreline slope, biological productivity and sensitivity. Areas exposed to high levels of physical energy, such as wave action and tidal currents, and low biological activity is ranked low on the scale, where as sheltered areas with associated high biological activity is ranked as High. The present paper attempts to showcase - the potential of remote sensing and GIS technologies as viable, and timely sources of information providers; and – the ESI and RSI indices are well applicable in Indian context. However, further validations from other coastal sites in India, is suggested for modeling the same to Indian environment
