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Impervious Surface Area of South East Asia
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A 2010 Mapping of the Constructed Surface Area Density for S.E. Asia - Preliminary Results
Paul Sutton (U. Denver-USA), Chris Elvidge NOAA-USA), Benjamin T. Tuttle (CIRES-USA), Daniel Ziskin (CIRES-USA), Kimberly Baugh (CIRES-USA), Tilottama Ghosh (CIRES-USA)
Human beings around the world build, use and maintain constructed
impervious surfaces for shelter, transportation and commerce. It is a
universal phenomenon - akin to clothing - and represents one of the
primary anthropogenic modifications of the environment. Expansion in
population numbers and economies combined with the popular use of
automobiles has lead to the sprawl of development and a wide
proliferation of constructed impervious surfaces. Constructed
impervious surfaces are both hydrological and ecological
disturbances. However, constructed surfaces are different from most
other types of disturbances in that recovery is arrested through the
use of materials that are resistant to decay and are actively
maintained. The same characteristics that make impervious surfaces
ideal for use in construction produce a series of effects on the
environment. Impervious surfaces alter sensible and latent heat
fluxes, causing urban heat islands. ISA alters the character of
watersheds by increasing the frequency and magnitude of surface runoff
pulses. The increased overland flow alters the shape of stream
channels, raising water temperatures, and sweeping urban pollutants
into aquatic environments. Hydrologic consequences of ISA include
increased flooding, reductions in ground water recharge, and
reductions in surface water quality. A widely accepted scale for the
impacts of ISA on holds that watershed areas are stressed if they
contain 1-10% ISA, impacted if they contain 10%-25% ISA and are
degraded if the contain more than 25% ISA . We present a new map of
the density of constructed surface in S.E. Asia derived from DMSP
nighttime lights and LandScan population count data.
Download the data (14MB)
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