Sand dune risk assessment in Sabha region, Libya using Landsat 8, MODIS, and Google Earth Engine images

• Main Authors: Biswajeet Pradhan, Ahmed Ali Alazhari Moneir, Ratiranjan Jena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2018-01-01
• Series: Geomatics, Natural Hazards & Risk
• Subjects: Sand dune risk; Landsat image; remote sensing; GIS; Libya
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2018.1518880

Globally, sand dunes are a major environmental problem that causes damage to urban areas, transportation, and population. The current study proposes a comprehensive investigation on sand dune risk modeling in Sabha located in the southwestern part of Libya. Data from various sources were collected and prepared in a GIS database. Data from 2016 were used to derive several controlling factors, such as altitude, rainfall, soil texture, wind direction and speed, land cover, and population density. Next, sand dune susceptibility, hazard and vulnerability assessments were performed. Finally, a risk map was produced. Results indicate that land use and soil are the most influential factors affecting the sand dunes in the study area, whereas rainfall is the least significant factor. Results indicate that, southern part has a higher chance of sand dune occurrence than the northern part, whereas the highest risk zone is located in the middle part, where the urban and agricultural lands are present. More than 200 km2 of the study area are under high and very high risk zones. Overall, this study provides an effective tool for assessing sand dune risk in Sabha, which can be useful for land management.