Tiémélé, J.A.; Koné, M.; and Mobio, A.B., 2024. Radar mapping of coastal flooding on the Noumouzou coast (Ivory Coast). In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 549-552. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.

Flooded several times causing the resettlement of its site three times, the coastal zone of Noumouzou (Grand-Lahou department) suffered enormous material, cultural, economic and financial damage. This study is a contribution of Radar imagery to the mapping of coastal flooding on the Noumouzou coast. The objective is to estimate the current and future flooding areas of the Noumouzou village based on Sentinel-1 images, with a view to improving the resilience of its population. To do this, digital processing of Sentinel-1 images from 2015 to 2023 was carried out using SNAP software and made it possible to evaluate the radar backscatter coefficient. The evolution of this parameter was analyzed according to the variation in significant wave heights, estimated from satellite altimeter data and acquired on the Copernicus site. The results showed that the variation of the radar backscattering coefficient of the images generally follows the evolution of the significant wave heights. The peak in 2017 could be explained by the occurrence of storm surges in this coastal area. Thus, the current trend is upward, given the data recorded in 2022. From 2023, forecasts show a gradual increase over the years, until 2030. These developments vary from 0.963 to 0.975 m of 2023 until 2030. This upward trend could be explained by, in addition to the effects of the morpho and hydrodynamic complexity of the Bandama mouth River, the irreversible climatic changes which impact the Ivorian coastal zones, in particular the El nino phenomenon, etc. A better appreciation of the digital processing of images, solely by VV polarization, could be considered in order to refine the results and lead to a hydrodynamic digital simulation of the coastal flooding on this coast. In any case, vigilance and in-depth analysis of the problem linked to this coastal zone are acute, with a view to proposing adaptation solutions to these Ivorian coastal populations.