Chapter 10
Mapping Coastal Erosion Risk
in the Southern Red River Delta, Vietnam
Mizue Murooka, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, and Shigeko Haruyama
Abstract In recent years, the Red River Delta has suffered from coastal erosion
due mainly to human activities. To determine the characteristics of coastal erosion,
a coastal dynamic index was calculated by overlapping eight JERS-1 SAR
(Synthetic Aperture Rader) images from 1994 to 1998. After combining the features of natural environment and land use, 74 meshes covering 500 m along the
coastline were classified by cluster analysis of UPGMA (unweighted pair-group
method using arithmetic averages) using the three major factors, i.e., costal dynamics index, banks, and land elevation. A coastal erosion risk map was produced by
clustering 686 meshes, including the inland area. The coastline clusters and distance from the sea were used in the clustering. Finally, a vulnerability map of
coastal erosion considering land use was constructed. The present land use was
assessed by randomization of land use, and it became clear that the current land use
was vulnerable to coastal erosion. This study indicates that when other information
is not available, satellite data can be very useful for coastal erosion risk mapping.
Keywords Red River Delta • Coastal erosion • JERS-1/SAR • Risk mapping
10.1 Introduction
In recent years, coastal erosion has become a worldwide phenomenon. The cause of
coastal erosion includes natural factors and human activities, and the damage from
coastal erosion can be tremendous. In the Red River Delta, Vietnam, coastal erosion
has been a serious problem. In this area, cultivation has occurred without an appropriate land use planning (Asian Development Bank and Ministry of Agriculture and
M. Murooka (*) • Y. Kuwahara
Abashiri Fisheries Research Institute, 1-1-1 Masuura, Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan
e-mail: murooka-mizue@hro.or.jp; fp7y-kwhr@asahi-net.or.jp
S. Haruyama
Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurimachiyacho, Tsu City,
Mie Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: haruyama@bio.mie-u.ac.jp
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
J. Li, X. Yang (eds.), Monitoring and Modeling of Global Changes:
A Geomatics Perspective, Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9813-6_10
199
Mapping Coastal Erosion Risk
in the Southern Red River Delta, Vietnam
Mizue Murooka, Yasuhiro Kuwahara, and Shigeko Haruyama
Abstract In recent years, the Red River Delta has suffered from coastal erosion
due mainly to human activities. To determine the characteristics of coastal erosion,
a coastal dynamic index was calculated by overlapping eight JERS-1 SAR
(Synthetic Aperture Rader) images from 1994 to 1998. After combining the features of natural environment and land use, 74 meshes covering 500 m along the
coastline were classified by cluster analysis of UPGMA (unweighted pair-group
method using arithmetic averages) using the three major factors, i.e., costal dynamics index, banks, and land elevation. A coastal erosion risk map was produced by
clustering 686 meshes, including the inland area. The coastline clusters and distance from the sea were used in the clustering. Finally, a vulnerability map of
coastal erosion considering land use was constructed. The present land use was
assessed by randomization of land use, and it became clear that the current land use
was vulnerable to coastal erosion. This study indicates that when other information
is not available, satellite data can be very useful for coastal erosion risk mapping.
Keywords Red River Delta • Coastal erosion • JERS-1/SAR • Risk mapping
10.1 Introduction
In recent years, coastal erosion has become a worldwide phenomenon. The cause of
coastal erosion includes natural factors and human activities, and the damage from
coastal erosion can be tremendous. In the Red River Delta, Vietnam, coastal erosion
has been a serious problem. In this area, cultivation has occurred without an appropriate land use planning (Asian Development Bank and Ministry of Agriculture and
M. Murooka (*) • Y. Kuwahara
Abashiri Fisheries Research Institute, 1-1-1 Masuura, Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan
e-mail: murooka-mizue@hro.or.jp; fp7y-kwhr@asahi-net.or.jp
S. Haruyama
Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurimachiyacho, Tsu City,
Mie Prefecture, Japan
e-mail: haruyama@bio.mie-u.ac.jp
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
J. Li, X. Yang (eds.), Monitoring and Modeling of Global Changes:
A Geomatics Perspective, Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9813-6_10
199