Delaware and Landsat

Abstract

Delaware’s status as the first State to ratify the U.S. Constitution is a well-known point of pride. “The First State” is among Delaware’s nicknames, alongside “the Blue Hen State,” “the Diamond State,” and “the Small Wonder,” the last of which relates to Delaware’s diminutive land area—larger only than Rhode Island. Less well known, perhaps, is Delaware’s geographic distinction as the State with the lowest average elevation. Most of its land area rises no more than 80 feet above sea level. In fact, about 32,000 acres of Cypress Swamp, sometimes called the Great Cypress Swamp, stretch across its southern border. These low elevations put Delaware at particular risk of sea level rise. Sea levels are rising more quickly than average for the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware. The State has seen its coastal waters rise more than 1 foot over the past century. The Landsat Program’s 50-year archive of repeat Earth observations offers an indispensable record of land change along the Nation’s coastlines. Imagery collected by Landsat satellites can inform studies of coastline losses, flooding extents, and land cover conversions. Landsat data also can support plans to mitigate those effects.