Coastal and Land Use Variations of Burullus Lake, Egypt Using Remote Sensing

Monitoring lakes is traditionally expensive, but satellite technology offers a more affordable solution. Human activities are currently damaging water bodies worldwide, including Egypt's coastal lakes. This study focuses on Burullus Lake, Egypt’s second-largest lake in the northern Mediterranean. Researchers used Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to track changes in the coastline and land use. The authors analyzed Landsat images from 1984 to 2019 and compared 2019 Landsat data with Sentinel-2A imagery. They also performed field visits to confirm their findings. Using a supervised classification method, they identified eight categories, including seawater, urban areas, and fish farms.

The results show significant changes between 1984 and 2019: the lake’s open water decreased by 16%, and floating plants dropped by 52%. Conversely, agricultural land expanded by 648 km^2, and fish farms grew by 290 km^2. These updated maps help officials identify where human activity is most harmful. This data is essential for restoring the lake and meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords: Remote Sensing & GIS, Environmental Monitoring, Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), Change Detection, Burullus Lake, Egypt,