A study published in the journal Nature Scientific Data by a hydrologist at the University of Texas at Arlington offers the first global assessment of human-induced destruction of natural floodplains. The research can help guide future developments in restoring and protecting floodplain habitats that are critical to reducing the risk of flooding to wildlife, water quality and people.
Adnan Rajib of UT Arlington led the study, Human Modifications to Global River Floodplains, to which postdoctoral researcher Qianjing Zheng contributed in collaboration with EPA scientists, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, and The Nature Conservancy.
“As a result, the world faces a greater risk of flooding than we thought, especially given the impact of human development on river floodplains,” Rajib said. said. “In the 27 years from 1992 to 2019, the world lost 600,000 square kilometers of floodplain due to anthropogenic disturbances involving infrastructure development, industrial and business construction, and agricultural expansion.”
The team used satellite remote sensing data and geospatial analytics to examine 520 of the world’s major river basins, revealing previously unknown spatial patterns and trends in anthropogenic floodplain change.
“Mapping the world’s floodplains is a relatively new phenomenon. While there is a growing understanding of the need to accurately map floodplains and understand flood risks, no attempts have been made to map anthropogenic disturbances in these floodplains on a global scale,” he said. Hydrology and Hydroinformatics at Arlington. “This has been done in small regions around the world, and certainly in the United States and Europe, but not in parts of the world with insufficient data.”
The study concludes that the environment is threatened and that one-third of the total global loss of floodplain wetlands occurs in North America. Rajib said the magnitude of the risk of river flooding is much higher than previously thought. He and his team examined satellite photographs of these floodplains taken over the past 27 years.
“We wanted to study floodplains at the district level,” Zheng said. “We wanted to see the impact of development on those living on or near the floodplain. Some of the changes in these photos are good; for example, the planting of trees or the creation of parks. But many photos show disturbing results. For example, we witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of car parks or the construction of buildings without sufficient rainwater quotas .”
Chris Johnson of The Nature Conservancy, one of the paper’s co-authors, said: “Floodplains around the world are biodiversity hotspots that also provide a wide range of ecosystem services to humans. We hope this research will shed light on this critical habitat we are losing.” And ways to reverse this trend.”
Melanie Settler, chair and professor of civil engineering, said the research should offer planners a vital tool to reduce flood risk to people.
“Rajib’s work may be our lens to guide future development to reduce vulnerability to flooding in a changing climate,” Sattler said. “And we hope that, in some cases, this research will help us correct mistakes we have made in our past development decisions.” Source
Source: Port Altele
