Remote sensing of the modern carbonate system of the Bar Al Hikman Peninsula, Oman

The Bar Al Hikman peninsula located on the eastern coast of Oman has developed over the Pleistocene and Holocene as an in situ shallow water carbonate/evaporite system with subordinate amounts of clastic sand and gravel. In this study different resolutions of satellite imagery ranging from low, medium to high and acquired between 1972 and 2004, were used to map geology, geomorphology and changes in the Bar Al Hikman peninsula. The enhanced Landsat TM and ASTER images compared favorably to published geologic maps of the area with some similarities and some obvious differences that are being verified by field visits and laboratory analysis. The high-resolution QuickBird imagery mapped geomorphic features as spit, intertidal lagoon, raised bars and coral reefs with the finest details that have been produced for the study area for the first time. The change detection images mapped changes in coastal sands, lagoons, sabkha, as well as soil moisture content from the movement of the groundwater table.