Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea

Nicholas J Murray; Robert S Clemens; Stuart R Phinn; Hugh P Possingham; Richard A Fuller

doi:10.1890/130260

journal article May 08, 2014

Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea

Nicholas J Murray Robert S Clemens Stuart R Phinn Hugh P Possingham Richard A Fuller

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Vol. 12 No. 5 pp. 267-272 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1890/130260

Abstract

In the Yellow Sea region of East Asia, tidal wetlands are the frontline ecosystem protecting a coastal population of more than 60 million people from storms and sea‐level rise. However, unprecedented coastal development has led to growing concern about the status of these ecosystems. We developed a remote‐sensing method to assess change over ~4000 km of the Yellow Sea coastline and discovered extensive losses of the region's principal coastal ecosystem – tidal flats – associated with urban, industrial, and agricultural land reclamations. Our analysis revealed that 28% of tidal flats existing in the 1980s had disappeared by the late 2000s (1.2% annually). Moreover, reference to historical maps suggests that up to 65% of tidal flats were lost over the past five decades. With the region forecast to be a global hotspot of urban expansion, development of the Yellow Sea coastline should pursue a course that minimizes the loss of remaining coastal ecosystems.

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Details

Published: May 08, 2014
Vol/Issue: 12(5)
Pages: 267-272
License: View

Authors

Cite This Article

Nicholas J Murray, Robert S Clemens, Stuart R Phinn, et al. (2014). Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 12(5), 267-272. https://doi.org/10.1890/130260

Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea

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