Spatial Morphological Evolution and Driving Factors of Major Coral Islands in the Truong Sa Archipelago Based on Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67484/mgc.112Keywords:
DSAS, LCR, ACR, EPR, Truong Sa Archipelago, coral islands, spatial morphological evolution, multi-temporal remote sensingAbstract
The spatial morphology of coral islands reflects the combined effects of marine hydrodynamics, reef geomorphology, sediment transport, and human activities, providing essential information for coastal monitoring and sustainable marine management. This study investigates the spatial morphological evolution of five major coral islands in the Truong Sa Archipelago, Vietnam, including Song Tu Tay, Son Ca, Nam Yet, Sinh Ton, and Truong Sa Lon, using multi-temporal satellite imagery acquired from SPOT-2, SPOT-4, Landsat-8, and Sentinel-2 in 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022. Shorelines were extracted from geometrically corrected satellite images and integrated within a Geographic Information System (GIS), while shoreline dynamics were quantified using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS). Four quantitative indicators, namely Length Change Rate (LCR), Area Change Rate (ACR), Centroid Shift Rate (CSR), and End Point Rate (EPR), were employed to characterize spatial morphological changes and shoreline evolution. The results reveal that all investigated islands exhibited an overall expansion trend during the study period, although the magnitude of change varied considerably among islands. Son Ca Island experienced the highest area growth with an ACR of 27.79 m²/year, whereas Song Tu Tay Island recorded the lowest increase of 3.65 m²/year. Shoreline length generally increased, with LCR values ranging from 0.12 to 3.76 m/year, indicating heterogeneous morphological development among islands. CSR analysis revealed multidirectional centroid migration, with Truong Sa Lon Island showing the largest spatial displacement, suggesting asymmetric island development. EPR analysis further identified erosion and accretion hotspots primarily distributed along shorelines directly exposed to seasonal wave and current regimes. The observed spatial morphological evolution is mainly controlled by seasonal wave climate, sediment transport processes, reef geomorphology, and island reclamation activities. The proposed integration of multi-temporal remote sensing, GIS, and DSAS provides an effective framework for long-term monitoring of coral island morphology and offers valuable scientific support for coastal management, geospatial database updating, and sustainable management of the Truong Sa Archipelago.
Downloads
References
[1] Moberg, F., Folke, C. (1999). Ecological goods and services of coral reef ecosystems. Ecological Economics, 29(2), 215–233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(99)00009-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(99)00009-9
[2] Hedley, J.D., Roelfsema, C.M., Chollett, I., et al. (2016). Remote sensing of coral reefs for monitoring and management: A review. Remote Sensing, 8(2), 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8020118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8020118
[3] Mumby, P.J., Skirving, W., Strong, A.E., et al. (2004). Remote sensing of coral reefs and their physical environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48(3–4), 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2003.10.031. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2003.10.031
[4] Hedley, J.D., Roelfsema, C.M., Brando, V.E., et al. (2018). Coral reef applications of Sentinel-2: Coverage, characteristics, bathymetry and benthic mapping with comparison to Landsat 8. Remote Sensing of Environment, 216, 598–614. DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.07.014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.07.014
[5] Hedley, J.D., Harborne, A.R., Mumby, P.J. (2005). Simple and robust removal of sun glint for mapping shallow-water benthos. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 26(10), 2107–2112. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160500034086. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160500034086
[6] Lyzenga, D.R. (1981). Remote sensing of bottom reflectance and water attenuation parameters in shallow water using aircraft and Landsat data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2(1), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431168108948342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431168108948342
[7] Roelfsema, C.M., Phinn, S.R., Jupiter, S., Comley, J., Albert, S. (2013). Mapping coral reefs at reef to reef-system scales, 10s–1000s km², using object-based image analysis. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 34(18), 6367–6388. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2013.800660. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2013.800660
[8] Himmelstoss, E.A., Henderson, R.E., Kratzmann, M.G., Farris, A.S. (2021). Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 5.1 User Guide. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021-1091. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211091. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211091
[9] Li, F., Wu, W., Zhang, P., Zhang, B., Su, F. (2025). A study on the spatial morphological evolution and driving factors of coral islands and reefs in the South China Sea based on multi-source satellite imagery. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13(4), 820. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13040820. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13040820
[10] Nguyễn Hào Quang và cs. (2015). Nghiên cứu phân bố san hô ven đảo Lý Sơn bằng công nghệ GIS và viễn thám. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ Biển, 15(3), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/15/3/7222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/15/3/7222
[11] Nguyễn Văn Long, Tống Phước Hoàng Sơn (2017). Hiện trạng và biến động diện tích các hệ sinh thái biển tiêu biểu trong vịnh Nha Trang. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ Biển, 17(4), 469–479. https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/17/4/8459. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/17/4/8459
[12] Đỗ Huy Cường và cs. (2019). Nghiên cứu môi trường biển và phân bố san hô khu vực đảo Nam Yết sử dụng ảnh VNREDSat-1 và QuickBird. Tạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ Biển, 19(3B), 189–202. https://doi.org/0.15625/1859-3097/19/3B/14525. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/19/3B/14525
[13] Nguyen Xuan Tung, Nguyen Minh Huan, Nguyen Kim Cuong, Pham Duc Hung, Luc Anh Tuan (2025). Wave-induced sediment dynamics and seabed changes around the Truong Sa Island, Vietnam. Vietnam Journal of Earth Sciences, 48(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9783/23852. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9783/23852
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nguyễn Xuân Tùng, Minh Huấn Nguyễn, Kim Cương Nguyễn, Đặng Thanh Tùng, Lê Thị Hoa Huệ (Tác giả)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright remains with the authors. Authors grant the Magazine of Geodesy – Cartography the right of first publication. All articles published by the journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Under the CC BY 4.0 license, readers are free to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and reuse the published work, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made to the work are indicated.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for any third-party copyrighted material included in their manuscripts.
