Spatial analysis of tidal flood in Karawang coastal area using multi-sensor remote sensing

The northern coast of Java, particularly the coastal region of Karawang Regency, is highly vulnerable to tidal flooding, a phenomenon in which seawater inundates low-lying coastal land during high tide. This study aimed to identify and spatially map areas affected by tidal flooding in Karawang’s coastal zone using a multi-sensor remote sensing approach. The datasets utilized included Sentinel-1A imagery for land deformation analysis, Sentinel-2A for land cover classification, and data on land slope, sea level rise, tidal patterns, wind speed, rainfall, and tidal flood occurrences. The results indicate that the northern coastal area of Karawang experiences significant land subsidence, reaching up to -6.7 cm per year, with predominantly very gentle slopes (0–8%). Sea level rise was recorded at 5.6 mm per year, compounded by diurnal tidal fluctuations and westerly winds ranging from 3.6 to 8.8 m/s. The spatial analysis revealed that aquaculture pond areas were the most severely affected, accounting for 93.9% of the total inundated land. Among the sub-districts, Cibuaya exhibits the largest extent of tidal flood inundation, covering 57.9% of the total affected area.