Remote sensing assessment of coastal erosion in Al Batinah, Oman

Coastal erosion and accretion occur in several areas in the Sultanate of Oman, in part, as natural processes and the continuing change of the shoreline. Along Al Batinah coast, erosion and accretion are exacerbated in the vicinity of major engineering constructions such as fishing harbors, breakwaters, and desalination plants. The impact of such structures is the alternation of the sediment transport along the coastline. In this study, aerial photos, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), and high-resolution Ikonos images acquired between 1975 and 2003 were processed and used to map changes at selected areas along the Al Batinah coast. In general, only minor erosion and accretion were mapped from the imagery. Landsat TM imagery with a resolution of 30 m mapped only major changes at the Sohar Port. Aerial photos and satellite imagery showed that mouth of Wadi Hawasnah has been blocked completely due to the construction of a recharge dam on the wadi. The Ikonos imagery with a spatial resolution of one meter mapped detailed changes around the infrastructures.