Dynamics of coastal land use patterns of Inner Lingdingyang Bay in the Zhujiang River estuary

To satisfy the growing of land demand from economic development, a large scale of land reclamation from sea has been carried out in Inner Lingdingyang Bay in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary in recent years. As a result, the tidal flat and the water channels became narrow, the frequency of floods increased, and the environment was undermined. Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey (GMGS) conducted an integrated project for marine geo-environment and geo-hazards survey in 2003. With the integration of multi-temporal remote sensing images of 1977, 1978, 1988, 1996, and 2003, GIS spatial analyzing approach and GPS technique, as well as field data and other background data of the region, this research investigated the comprehensive characteristics and the drivers of coastal land use dynamics and shoreline changes in Inner Lingdingyang Bay. The results reveal that the reclaimed coastal land was mainly for agriculture and aquaculture in early years, but now they are used for construction sites of harbors and industries, especially high-tech industry.