Coastal land use change

Land use and land use changes along coasts and in river watersheds have direct influence on the water quality of coastal areas. Sediment transport in rivers responds directly to erosion processes which often increase when permanent vegetation such as forests are removed, and these changes will be visible in coastal water quality. The light field and nutrient availability are the main factors controlling the growth of algae – the base of the marine food web. Increases in the flow of nutrients and pollutants from land-runoff and waste water discharges also tend to accompany urbanisation and other changes in land uses.

The service will combine data from global land cover services with data from higher resolution, thematically focused approaches in order to retrieve value added information and answer questions regarding the influence of land use changes on the water quality dynamics of coastal waters.

Exact product selection depends on the information requirements of the user and the scales that are of most interest. Where necessary, adaptations are available for retrieving finer scale information which is not currently available from existing data services.