Assessment of Coastal Erosion Along the Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh State Using Satellite Data of 1990–2000 and 2000–2016 Time Frames

Abstract

Rising mean sea level (MSL) is one of the major concerns not only for the small islands but also for the mega-cities and the villages in the low elevation coastal zones globally. With recent projections from the IPCC, suggests that sea level may be ~0.6 to 1.5 m higher than present by 2100 AD, and the most direct impact of the sea-level rise is on the coastal zones. Since these narrow zones that fringe the world oceans are low-lying, the sea-level rise would lead to accelerated erosion and shoreline retreat, besides leading to saltwater intrusion into coastal groundwater aquifers, inundation of wetlands and estuaries, and threatening historic and cultural resources as well as infrastructure. The present study will address the shoreline changes along the Srikakulam district through the analysis of multi-date satellite imagery during 1990–2016. The results show that an area of about 288.06 ha, at a rate of 11.07 ha/year was lost due to erosion along the coastal regions of Srikakulam district.