Remote sensing application in the study of migration and offset of coastal inlets

The coastal zone of Kerala with moderate energy, monsoonal-storm-dominated wave climate, together with a microtidal range, falls under the major tectonic class of the Amerotrailing edge coasts. In order to have an effective management of this coastal zone, one requires detailed information on various types of coastal landforms and the related processes acting on them. Coastal inlets are one among such landforms, which are relatively short and narrow tidal channels connecting bays and lagoons to the ocean. Coastal inlets and the related landforms form an important type of coastal feature. An examination of coastal maps from any area in the world will reveal that coastal inlets are of migratory and offset in nature. In the present study the migration pattern and offset behaviour of some of the inlets of Kerala coast have been examined using IRS-IA LISS II data and Survey of India topographic sheets. The study reveals that geocoded IRS-IA LISS II data could provide accurate geometrical information which may considerably minimise the field check.