Correlations Between Fluvial Morphologic Changes and Vegetation, and Fluvio-deltaic Behavior on Deltas Using Remote Sensing

Abstract:

Large deltas (>30 km in length) provide the majority of sediment to the world’s oceans and contain important aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs; however, a comprehensive analysis of the geomorphic influence of factors (e.g., tides, groundwater interaction, and upstream discharge and sediment supply) controlling fluvio-deltaic deposition and morphology has not been conducted. To document the geomorphological changes occurring from the apex to the toe of deltas, a database of 84 large modern deltas was compiled. Of these deltas, several were specifically selected to gauge the interplay of tidal, groundwater, and fluvial influence on the modern river channels on these deltas. On these selected deltas, we analyzed the river width and sinuosity with distance downstream from the apex using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and LANDSAT imagery. Additionally, we analyzed a time-series from the year 2000 to 2015 of interpreted vegetation density using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Since vegetation density and type are related to both salinity and groundwater conditions, we are able to observe systematic changes in vegetation across different portions of the delta, depending on the major hydrologic influences in each area (e.g., tidal, fresh groundwater, brackish groundwater, or direct fluvial influence). In this study, we evaluate correlations between fluvial morphologic changes and vegetation density and type, thus helping to improve our understanding of the significance of tides and groundwater on fluvio-deltaic behavior globally.