Evaluating salinity intrusion in estuaries using remote sensing data integrated in-situ observation

Saline intrusion reduces crop productivity, causes land degradation, decreases water quality, and severely affects agricultural production, the environment as well as livelihoods. Under the evolution of climate change and human activities from the upstream of the Mekong, the downstream areas of Dinh An and Cung Hau estuaries in Tra Vinh province are also significantly affected by saline intrusion from the East Sea. This article presents the integrated solution of remote sensing and GIS in monitoring and mapping salinity intrusion. The data used are Landsat 8 satellite images combined with salinity water monitoring data collected from actual observation stations during the dry season. Analysis showed that there was a statistically significant correlation between the observed salinity value of the water and the pixel value of the first principal component image. Simulation of spatial distribution from the study indicates that saline intrusion is now entering the interior with a distance from the estuary to about 30 - 48 km depending on the time of the dry season. The results of this study will assist managers in planning food safety strategies at the risk of saline intrusion.