Multitemporal Analysis of Coastal Erosion Based on Multisource Satellite Images in the South of the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in Togo (West Africa)

Abstract

Climate change is affecting terrestrial and maritime ecosystems of Mono transboundary biosphere reserve and the whole Togolese coast. This research focuses both on the dynamics of the barrier beach and on spatial and temporal changes that affected the ocean coastline and its adjacent Lake Togo and Lake Boko during the period 1988-2018. The methodological approach adopted is based on a combination of optical and radar remote sensing. As results, the Lake Togo widened on average by 1.55 m/year while the coastline of the Lake Boko shrank by 1.25 m/year. For the coastline of the Ocean, the regression ranged from 1.66 to 5.25 m/year. The barrier beach experienced an average immersion of 9.25 ha/year. Predictions on the basis of the average rate of immersion of the barrier beach of 9.25 ha/year showed that the latter is exposed to a continuous immersion hazard that would affect more than 7% of its current area (6557.33 ha) by the year 2070.

Land use/land cover patterns and challenges to sustainable management of the Mono transboundary biosphere reserve between Togo and Benin, West Africa

“…The manifestations of these factors are more and more felt with the everincreasing population of the area, thus increasing resource needs and accentuating pressure on land (Adjonou et al, 2013). Conversions of natural forests into agricultural and non-vegetated areas observed in the RBTM are common and support earlier work on changes in land use (Ouedraogo et al, 2010;Houessou et al, 2013;Brandt et al, 2014;Faye et Cheikh, 2016;Konko et al, 2018a). This trend in reduced natural vegetation cover in West Africa is an urgent environmental concern as it leads to soil and ecosystem degradation (Avajoudjo et al, 2014;Faye et Cheikh, 2016;Zoungrana et al, 2018).…”

Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Southeastern Community Forests in Togo (West Africa)

“…However, it is important to note that the MSI sensor rendered scenes better than the TM and ETM+ sensors [18].…”

“…SVM is a statistical learning classification technique. SVM focuses classification decisions on the boundary between classes instead of their mean and variance values[18].…”

Coastline Change Modelling Induced by Climate Change Using Geospatial Techniques in Togo (West Africa)

“…Climate change and its effects are of global concern and has become an active area of research for scientists [1]. One of the consequences of climate change is global warming causing melting glaciers, rising sea levels and shoreline regression [2]. A shoreline is the line of contact between land and a sea [3].…”

“…Due to its configuration, the Togolese coast faces many challenges such as urban expansion and coastal erosion. The recent research of [2] in the East of the Togo coast showed that, the shoreline experienced an average recession ranging from 1.66 to 5.25 m per year while the urban area increases from 7.84 ha per year. Predictions based on those averages rate showed that the barrier beach with its residential areas whose the local population estimated at 82.724 inhabitants are exposed to a continual risk of inundation by shoreline regression which may affect more than 7% of its surface area by the 2070s.…”