Coastal geomorphology and the risk from tsunami waves in imvros island using remote sensing data and geographical information systems (GIS)

Περίληψη

The purpose of this paper is to combine two levels of analysis. Firstly, it focuses on the coastal geomorphology of Imvros island (Greece) and how it would be affected by a possible tsunami wave in the area. In addition to this, advanced technology is used such as remote sensing data and Geographical Information Systems in order to lead to conclusions concerning the possible risks the area would face should such a phenomenon occur. It is common ground that the Eastern Mediterranean, in which the island of Imvros is also included, belongs to that category of regions where tsunami waves do not happen very often. However, it is not groundless to talk about such a thing, due to the several observations of earthquakes and landslides followed by such a phenomenon as well as due to the seismicity of the region. Therefore, the seismicity of the area signifies a high risk of tsunami. Imvros is an island situated really close to the North Anatolian Fault (NAF). Its position makes it vulnerable to earthquakes and to tsunami waves as a consequence. Furthermore, we should bear in mind that it is surrounded by areas with high seismic activity and several cases of tsunami in the past. Regarding land cover, remote sensing, together with the variety of cases it can be applied to, plays a vital role. As a consequence, it offers a new perspective to the procedure of describing the land cover. This happens due to the fact that it provides a range of multispectral data which can give really useful output for further analysis after having been appropriately processed. As a result, in order for the vulnerable parts of the island to be detected, software like ENVI and ArcGIS was used. Through these programmes, it was possible to edit pictures and create maps respectively. To be more specific, a satellite picture taken from LANDSAT 8 was used in order to study the land cover of the island. What is more, the ArcGIS software was used to create maps depicting the slope, the aspect as well as the buffer zones per altitude of the island. Finally, all these features were studied carefully, together with the data provided by the satellite picture concerning the land cover in order for conclusions to be drawn.