A new study provides the first global assessment of human-induced change to natural floodplains, highlights significant losses over 27 years, and provides insights for restoring and protecting these important ecosystems. Masu. Joint efforts leveraging satellite data and geospatial analysis highlight the urgent need for informed development strategies to reduce flood risk and protect biodiversity hotspots in these regions. I am.
New research reveals humans’ destruction of the world’s floodplains.
Research by University of Texas at Arlington hydrologist published in magazine scientific dataprovides an unprecedented global assessment of human impacts on natural floodplains. The study will inform future development strategies aimed at restoring and protecting critical floodplain ecosystems, which are essential for minimizing flood risk for wildlife, water purity and people. can do.
Adnan Rajiv, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Arlington University, is the study’s lead author. His doctoral student Qianjin Zheng played an important role in the development of the research.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists Charles Lane, Heather Golden, and Jay Christensen; Itohaosa Ishibor of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. and conservationist Chris Johnson collaborated on the study. This work was funded through: NASA and the National Science Foundation.
“The bottom line is that the world is at greater risk of flooding than we realize, especially considering the impact that human development has had on floodplains,” said Rajiv. “During the 27-year period from 1992 to 2019, the world dramatically lost 600,000 square kilometers of floodplain to human-induced disturbances such as infrastructure development, industrial and business construction, and agricultural expansion.”
Using satellite remote sensing data and geospatial analysis, the research team surveyed 520 major river basins around the world and discovered previously unknown spatial patterns and trends in human-induced floodplain change.
“Mapping the world’s floodplains is relatively new. While there is growing awareness of accurately mapping floodplains and understanding flood risk, human disturbance in those floodplains can be mapped globally. There has never been an attempt to do so before,” said Rajiv, who is also director of the UT Arlington Hydrology and Hydroinformatics Innovation Lab. “This is happening in smaller regions around the world, and of course in the US and Europe, but not in data-poor regions of the world.”
The study concludes that wetland habitats are at risk and one-third of the world’s total loss of floodplain wetlands occurred in North America. Rajiv said the magnitude of floodplain risk is much greater than previously understood. He and his team looked at satellite images of these floodplain areas taken over the past 27 years.
“We wanted to examine the floodplain at the neighborhood level,” Zheng said. “We wanted to know the impact of development on people who live adjacent to or near floodplains. These photos also show positive changes, such as when trees are planted or parks are built. However, many of the photos reveal alarming consequences, such as the dramatic increase in parking development and building construction without sufficient room for stormwater runoff. I understand.”
“Globally, floodplains are hotspots of biodiversity, providing a wide range of ecosystem services to people,” said Johnson, co-author of the paper. We hope to shed light on critical habitats and ways to reverse this trend.”
Melanie Sattler, dean and professor of civil engineering, said the study should provide planners with an important tool to reduce flood risk for people.
“Rajiv’s research could provide a lens to guide future development to reduce the impacts of flooding in a changing climate,” Sattler said. “And in some cases, we hope this research will help correct mistakes made in past development decisions.”
References: Adnan Rajiv, Chengying Zheng, Charles R. Lane, Heather E. Golden, Jay R. Christensen, Itohaosa I. Isibor, Chris Johnson, Artificial Alteration of the World’s Floodplains 1992 from 2019”, 28 July 2023, scientific data.
DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02382-x