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Delaware and Landsat

Fact Sheet 2022-3064
By:
https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20223064

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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 associated with climate change. 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 the coastline losses, flooding extents, and land cover conversions that affect climate resilience in Delaware. Landsat data also can support plans to mitigate those effects. Here are a few examples of the ways Delaware benefits from Landsat.

Suggested Citation

U.S. Geological Survey, 2022, Delaware and Landsat: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2022–3064, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20223064.

ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)

ISSN: 2327-6916 (print)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Tracking Coastal Change
  • Watching over Wetlands
  • Documenting Deluges
  • Landsat—Critical Information Infrastructure for the Nation
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Delaware and Landsat
Series title Fact Sheet
Series number 2022-3064
DOI 10.3133/fs20223064
Year Published 2022
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Description 2 p.
Country United States
State Delaware
Online Only (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details