Monitoring the change of coastline with remote sensing and GIS: a case study from Izmit and Gemlik Gulfs, Turkey

Abstract

Humanity has preferred to settle down in coastal areas since its existence. This situation brings socioeconomic and cultural benefits, as well as a better quality of life for the development of civilizations. Although coastal areas are of great benefit to the population and economy, they can be affected by natural or artificial disasters such as erosion, tsunami, and flooding. Nowadays, it is necessary to monitor the change of the coastline to better manage coastal areas and take precautions against disasters. In recent years, instead of traditional measurement methods, changes in coastal areas can be more accurately determined by remote sensing methods and satellite imagery. In this study, an analyzes was conducted to detect the change in coast of Sea of Marmara, Gemlik and Izmit Gulf using Landsat-5 and Landsat-8 satellite imagery from 1985-2020. First, using the object-based classification method, rule sets were developed, and the coastal class was generated. During the segmentation and classification stages, parameter analyses were performed to create corresponding rules, and accuracy analyses were conducted. In the second stage of the study, the target classes were exported to the geographic information system environment and a coastal change detection analyzes was performed.