Measuring the progress of urban and man-made land use towards the coastline in the coastal area of Hormozgan province (Case study: Khamir city)

Abstract

Introduction: The world has undergone a fundamental change and the population density in
cities is very high. Forecasts indicate that the population of cities will reach 5.06 billion people
(60%) in 2030. The growth of urban and man-made land use, especially in its unfavorable form,
has been condemned due to its negative effects on the environment, human health, and social
and economic issues. Irregular urban development in coastal areas, which are a sensitive
ecosystem, leads to the destruction and disruption of natural habitats in this area.
Materials & Methods: In order to study the urban and man-made land use in the study area,
Landsat 8 satellite images were used, which were received for three times (2013, 2017 and
2021). After making the necessary corrections, the Modified Normalized Difference Water
Index (MNDWI) was used to accurately extract the coastline of Khamir port. Then, from the
coastline to the mainland, three distances of 2, 4 and 6 km were considered, respectively, which
Buffer tool was used to separate each area in ArcMap environment. Normalized Difference
Built-up Index (NDBI) was used to extract urban land use. Finally, the growth rate of urban
land use was measured at three time points and different distances from the coastline.
Results: The results showed that from 2013 to 2021, urban and man-made land use has
increased. The increase in man-made land area from 2013 to 2021 for distances of 2, 4 and 6
km from the coastline was 120.1, 110.3 and 65.8 hectares, respectively.
Conclusion: Since the proximity and influence of urban land use to the coastline causes the
destruction and reliance of coastal habitats, it also affects the hydrological systems, so this is
especially important in the city of Khamir, which has ecosystems such as wetlands. Should be
seriously considered and all land use changes monitored.