A study by a hydrologist at the University of Texas at Arlington published in the journal Scientific Dataprovides an unprecedented global assessment of human impact on natural floodplains. This research can inform future development strategies aimed at rehabilitating and protecting floodplain ecosystems, which are essential for minimizing the risk of flooding to wildlife, water purity and humans.
The study’s lead author was Adnan Rajib, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Arizona in Arlington. PhD student Qianjin Zheng played a key role in developing the research.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists Charles Lane, Heather Golden and Jay Christensen; Itochaosa Isibor of Texas A&M University in Kingsville; and Chris Johnson of The Nature Conservancy collaborated on the research. The study was funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation.
“As a result, the world is at greater risk of flooding than we realize, especially given the impact of human development on floodplains,” Rajib said. said. “During the 27 years from 1992 to 2019, the world lost 600,000 square meters.
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 changes.
“Mapping the world’s floodplain rivers is relatively new. While awareness of accurately mapping floodplains and understanding flood risks has increased, efforts to map human impacts on these floodplains on a global scale have never existed,” he said. “This has been done in small regions around the world, and certainly in the United States and Europe, but not in data-poor parts of the world.”
The study concluded that wetlands are at risk, with one-third of the total global loss of floodplain wetlands occurring in North America. Rajib said the magnitude of the risk to the floodplain was much greater than previously thought. He and his team examined satellite images of these floodplains taken over the past 27 years.
“We wanted to look at floodplains at the neighborhood level,” Zheng said. “We wanted to see the impact of development on those living in or near the floodplain. Some changes in these drawings are good, such as planting trees or creating parks. But many photographs show troubling results. For example, we saw a dramatic increase in the development of car parks or the construction of buildings without adequate rainwater tolerance.” “
Johnson, who co-authored the paper, 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 the important habitat we are losing and how we can reverse this trend.”
Melanie Sattler, 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
