Abstract
The objective of the present study is to apply satellite images (PALSAR) to obtain frequent and accurate coastline data in the Meghna Estuary area of Bangladesh and also utilize the high resolution images to investigate some of the hydro-morphological features of the estuary. Bathymetry of the Meghna Estuary was obtained from the GEBCO 30” free source data. This data was refined by incorporating the recent coastlines through the digitized PALSAR images. It was observed that in satellite images, tidal flats appear as dark patches adjacent to the land areas during the low tides. To compute some of the hydrodynamic features of the Meghna Estuary a 2D hydrodynamic model was set-up. The model was validated through comparison of predicted and observed tidal water levels during 1997 and 2012. The validation includes processes of bathymetry modification by observed data and coastline refinement by satellite images. Simulated stream lines in the computation domain with updated coastlines, show reasonable agreement with certain flow patterns observed in the satellite images. Present monitoring and simulation techniques may be implemented as a strong tool to capture the coastal morphology change especially where one expects shortage of measured data in conjunction with highly dynamic morphology changes.
