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Human alterations of the global floodplains 1992–2019
Citation:
Rajib, A., Q. Zheng, C. Lane, H. Golden, J. Christensen, I. Isibor, AND K. Johnson. Human alterations of the global floodplains 1992–2019. Scientific Data. Springer Nature, New York, NY, 10:499, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02382-x
Impact/Purpose:
Sustaining floodplain functions and their critical ecosystem benefits demand an accounting of historical trajectories and current trends of human alterations within major floodplains across the globe. Recently, Rajib et al.28 developed a geospatial dataset of land use change within the Mississippi River Basin floodplains, demonstrating 60 years (1941-2000) of alteration, from relatively natural ecosystems to agricultural and developed land uses. Building off this effort, here we present the first-available global dataset that quantifies human alterations in 15 million km2 floodplains along the world’s 520 major river basins. We developed these data using a comprehensive 27-year (1992-2019) analysis of remotely sensed land use change at 250-m resolution.
Description:
Floodplains provide critical ecosystem services; however, loss of natural floodplain functions caused by human alterations increase flood risks and lead to massive loss of life and property. Despite recent calls for improved floodplain protection and management, a comprehensive, global-scale assessment quantifying human floodplain alterations does not exist. We developed the first publicly available global dataset that quantifies human alterations in 15 million km2 floodplains along 520 major river basins during the recent 27 years (1992-2019) at 250-m resolution. To maximize the reuse of our dataset and advance the open science of human floodplain alteration, we developed three web-based programming tools supported with tutorials and step-by-step audiovisual instructions. Our data reveal a significant loss of natural floodplains worldwide with 460,000 km2 of new agricultural and 140,000 km2 of new developed areas between 1992 and 2019. This dataset offers critical new insights into how floodplains are being destroyed, which will help decision-makers to reinforce strategies to conserve and restore floodplain functions and habitat.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Human alterations of the global floodplains 1992–2019
PubMed Central Link to Manuscript