Anthropogenic contribution to geomorphological changes in a tropical coastal lagoon

Abstract

The main objective of this work was to analyze the recent rates of progradation and regression of an interior delta in the Los Micos lagoon, located in the Honduras Caribbean. The analysis focused on the anthropogenic and meteorological factors that have contributed to the accelerated deltaic formation and the potential effects on the natural physical system. To do this, polygons have been generated from satellite images of the Landsat mission taken in the years: 1984, 1999, 2010 and 2014. The areas of the polygons have been calculated and their temporal evolution has been analyzed. A delta progradation rate of 38.45 m.a-1 has been observed, which has caused a loss of lagoon area of~ 6.77 ha.a-1, as a result of the change in land use in the watershed and the effects of severe weather events such as Hurricane Mitch.