Land Ocean Connectivity Through Inland Water Ecosystem: A Coremap-CTI Project in The Coastal Area of Kendari Bay, Southeast Sulawesi

Coastal zone is highly valued ecosystem exposed to multiple and often cumulative natural and anthropogenic stressors such as catchment loads of nutrients and sediment, as well as climate warming. High loads of nutrients and sediment from the hinterland are dispersed into this zone leading to an increase microalgae community in which it may reduce light availability for corals and seagrasses. In this paper, we present the progress of our study in the coastal area of Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, under the COREMAP-CTI Research Programme. Through such programme we are 1) investigating the flux of materials from the river basin to the marine environment, 2) characterising the key process that governing those fluxes, 3) developing models that capable of in predicting material fluxes under current and future environment (e.g., land-use and climate change). To do so, we integrate data and information derived from field observations and satellite imagery analysis to feed the developed rainfall-sediment-runoff and coastal ecological-hydrodynamic model. Not only focusing on the science of physical-biogeochemical processes of land-ocean interaction, the outcome of this research project is also aimed to support the development of adaptation strategy in combating climate change and anthropogenic pressure in the near future of coastal ecosystem.