The Application of Remote Sensing and Geoprocessing in Coastal Geomorphological Characterization: a case study in Paranaguá and Superagüi Strandplains, Southern Brazil

This paper presents the combination of remote sensing and geoprocessing to create geomorphological maps of the Paranaguá and Superagüi strandplains, a coastal region in southern Brazil, South America. Optical images and Geographic Information System tools provide a broad view of different geomorphological aspects existing in a location, which helps in the analysis and understanding of the geological evolution of an area. Therefore, digital processing of images from the Landsat 8 OLI datasets, and relief analysis with the Digital Surface Model of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission was carried out, also integrating with optical images extracted from Google Earth™ and previous geological map. The geomorphological characterization carried out by visual interpretation resulted in the separation of seven main classes, designated as 1) crystalline basement; 2) internal marine terrace; 3) external marine terrace; 4) beach ridge; 5) beach; 6) paleoestuarine plain; and 7) tidal flat/mangrove. In general, the combined utilization of remote sensing products yielded satisfactory results in distinguishing these categories, while the relief analysis confirmed their delineation. The integration of remote sensing methodologies with geoprocessing emerges as an indispensable asset in coastal evolution research, particularly due to the presence of diverse depositional environments that yield distinct features, and the ever-evolving nature of this region.