Urban Change Mapping of the Black Sea coastal zone in Bulgaria Using Remote Sensing Data

摘要

The Black Sea coastal zone in Bulgaria is an area of substantial importance due to its significant natural and economic resources, as well as to its sensitivity with respect to unfavorable ecological impacts. In this study mapping of urban areas change in coastal zone of Bulgaria based on satellite imagery is presented. The survey covers the period 1990 - 2006 of the transition from planned economy to market economy in Bulgaria. The remotely sensed data used include multispectral images from Landsat TM of 199 0s, Landsat ETM+ of 2000, IRS-P6, SPOT 4 a nd SPOT 5 of 2006 and 2007. Visual interpretation of multispectral satellite images was applied for urban areas change detection. The results indicate that the urban area expanded substantially in the two -kilometer strip of land along the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria during the period 2000 - 2006, mostly to the detriment of arable land and woodland. The observed types of urban change identified were urban expansion or densification. Besides, the results provide an estimate of the extent, pattern and direction of urban dynamics in the study area.