Dynamic Changes in Mangrove Forest and Lu/Lc Variation Analysis over Indian Sundarban Delta in West Bengal (India) Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data

Volume 13 Issue 3 February - April 2018

Research Paper

Dynamic Changes in Mangrove Forest and Lu/Lc Variation Analysis over Indian Sundarban Delta in West Bengal (India) Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data

Avinash Kumar Ranjan *, Shruti Kanga **

* M.Tech Scholar, Centre for Land Resource Management, School of Natural Resource Management, Central University of Jharkhand, India.

** Assistant Professor, Centre for Climate Change and Water Research, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Rajasthan, India.

Ranjan, A. K., and Kanga, S. (2018). Dynamic Changes in Mangrove Forest and Lu/Lc Variation Analysis over Indian Sundarban Delta in West Bengal (India) Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data. i-manager’s Journal on Future Engineering and Technology, 13(3), 9-23. https://doi.org/10.26634/jfet.13.3.14226

Abstract

Sundarban ecological unit is a well-known world's major mangrove ecosystem, prolonged over Bangladesh and India across the deltaic formation of Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers. Indian Sundarban Delta (ISD) is located over Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers’ delta in West Bengal, India. In the existing epoch, sundarbans delta is prone to ecological pressure caused by various natural as well as anthropogenic activities. The mangroves ecosystems of ISD have been critically disturbing via climate changes such as Sea Level Rise (SLR), gales, flood, shoreline erosion, salinity intrusion, population pressure etc. Aforesaid issues are apprehension for the mangroves forest and can create more socio-economic complications for the local mankind and wildlife of the ISD. The present study has essentially focused on the analysis and assessment of temporal deviation in the spatial pattern of Indian sundarbans delta using chronological satellite imagery since 1972-2017. Digital image processing of multi-temporal Landsat-series satellite data of 1972s, 1987s, 2002s, and 2017s were carefully performed in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Loss of Mangroves cover and Land Use / Land Cover (LU/LC) transformation were accomplished using two image processing techniques; Supervised Classification (Random Forest Classification) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and accuracy assessment of the derived LU/LC map was done by preparing a confusion matrix. The impact of climate change on ISD and socio-economic impact of mangrove ecosystem on shelters has also discussed.