Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping
The intertidal ecosystem serves as a critical transitional zone between terrestrial and marine environments, supporting diverse biodiversity and essential ecological functions. However, these systems are increasingly threatened by climate change, rising sea levels, and anthropogenic impacts. Accurat...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Zhang Zheng Renming Jia |
| author_facet | Zhang Zheng Renming Jia |
| author_sort | Zhang Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The intertidal ecosystem serves as a critical transitional zone between terrestrial and marine environments, supporting diverse biodiversity and essential ecological functions. However, these systems are increasingly threatened by climate change, rising sea levels, and anthropogenic impacts. Accurately mapping intertidal ecosystems and differentiating mangroves, salt marshes, and tidal flats remains a challenge due to inconsistencies in classification frameworks. Here, we present a high-precision mapping approach for intertidal ecosystems using multi-source satellite data, including Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat 8/9, integrated with the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, to enable the detailed mapping of intertidal zones across China–ASEAN. Our findings indicate a total intertidal area of 73,461 km<sup>2</sup> in China–ASEAN, with an average width of 1.16 km. Analyses of patch area, abundance, and perimeter relationships reveal a power-law distribution with a scaling exponent of 1.52, suggesting self-organizing characteristics shaped by both natural and human pressures. Our findings offer foundational data to guide conservation and management strategies in the region’s intertidal zones and present a novel perspective to propel research on global coastal ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-873168dc47504814845c0b3124ad0c45 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-873168dc47504814845c0b3124ad0c452025-01-10T13:20:25ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-01-0117115510.3390/rs17010155Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based MappingZhang Zheng0Renming Jia1Fourth Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (China–ASEAN Countries Joint Research and Development Center of Marine Science and Technology), Beihai 536000, ChinaFourth Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (China–ASEAN Countries Joint Research and Development Center of Marine Science and Technology), Beihai 536000, ChinaThe intertidal ecosystem serves as a critical transitional zone between terrestrial and marine environments, supporting diverse biodiversity and essential ecological functions. However, these systems are increasingly threatened by climate change, rising sea levels, and anthropogenic impacts. Accurately mapping intertidal ecosystems and differentiating mangroves, salt marshes, and tidal flats remains a challenge due to inconsistencies in classification frameworks. Here, we present a high-precision mapping approach for intertidal ecosystems using multi-source satellite data, including Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat 8/9, integrated with the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, to enable the detailed mapping of intertidal zones across China–ASEAN. Our findings indicate a total intertidal area of 73,461 km<sup>2</sup> in China–ASEAN, with an average width of 1.16 km. Analyses of patch area, abundance, and perimeter relationships reveal a power-law distribution with a scaling exponent of 1.52, suggesting self-organizing characteristics shaped by both natural and human pressures. Our findings offer foundational data to guide conservation and management strategies in the region’s intertidal zones and present a novel perspective to propel research on global coastal ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/1/155intertidal ecosystemsChina–ASEANprobabilistic classificationpower-law distributionGoogle Earth Engine |
| spellingShingle | Zhang Zheng Renming Jia Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping Remote Sensing intertidal ecosystems China–ASEAN probabilistic classification power-law distribution Google Earth Engine |
| title | Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping |
| title_full | Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping |
| title_fullStr | Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping |
| title_short | Distribution and Structure of China–ASEAN’s Intertidal Ecosystems: Insights from High-Precision, Satellite-Based Mapping |
| title_sort | distribution and structure of china asean s intertidal ecosystems insights from high precision satellite based mapping |
| topic | intertidal ecosystems China–ASEAN probabilistic classification power-law distribution Google Earth Engine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/1/155 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zhangzheng distributionandstructureofchinaaseansintertidalecosystemsinsightsfromhighprecisionsatellitebasedmapping AT renmingjia distributionandstructureofchinaaseansintertidalecosystemsinsightsfromhighprecisionsatellitebasedmapping |