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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">ISPRS-Archives</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">ISPRS-Archives</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="epub">2194-9034</issn>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIX-B3-2026-573-2026</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>Fluvial Dynamics Changes Driven by Illegal Gold Mining: A Land Use/Land Cover Analysis in the Ecuadorian Amazon</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Chuizaca-Espinoza</surname>
<given-names>Isabel Adriana</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Romero-Bermeo</surname>
<given-names>Daniela</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>da Silva</surname>
<given-names>Luciana das Dores de Jesus</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Velastegui-Montoya</surname>
<given-names>Andrés</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff5">
<sup>5</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Laboratory of Geoinformation and Remote Sensing, ESPOL Polytechnic University, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil, 090902, Ecuador</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>Postgraduate Program in Remote Sensing (PGSER), Coordination of Teaching, Research and Extension (COEPE), National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, 12227-01 SP, Brazil</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>Faculty of Life Sciences, ESPOL Polytechnic University, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil, 090902, Ecuador</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<label>4</label>
<addr-line>Department of Aquatic Systems, University of Concepción, Concepción 4070409, Chile</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff5">
<label>5</label>
<addr-line>Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences, ESPOL Polytechnic University, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil, 090902, Ecuador</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>30</day>
<month>07</month>
<year>2026</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>XLIX-B3-2026</volume>
<fpage>573</fpage>
<lpage>580</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2026 Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLIX-B3-2026/573/2026/isprs-archives-XLIX-B3-2026-573-2026.html">This article is available from https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLIX-B3-2026/573/2026/isprs-archives-XLIX-B3-2026-573-2026.html</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLIX-B3-2026/573/2026/isprs-archives-XLIX-B3-2026-573-2026.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLIX-B3-2026/573/2026/isprs-archives-XLIX-B3-2026-573-2026.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>Illegal alluvial mining has expanded rapidly across the Amazon basin, increasing pressure on river ecosystems, although its effects on fluvial dynamics during extreme hydrometeorological events remain insufficiently understood. This study examined land use and land cover (LULC) changes after a flooding and overflow event in the Nangaritza River and evaluated their influence on river dynamics. The objective was to determine the impacts of illegal mining on the fluvial behavior of the Nangaritza River in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon. Sentinel-2 Level-2A multispectral imagery was processed in Google Earth Engine to generate cloud-free mosaics for pre- and post-event conditions. Spectral indices including NDVI, MNDWI, NDTI, NDMI, and NDBaI improved classification accuracy. LULC maps were produced using the Random Forest supervised classification algorithm. Accuracy was evaluated with confusion matrices, while transition matrices and Map Algebra in ArcGIS Pro quantified spatial changes. Fluvial dynamics were assessed through variations in water bodies, mining areas, and sandbanks. Results showed a marked expansion of illegal mining along the river corridor through the conversion of forested, sedimentary, and aquatic surfaces into mining zones. These changes were accompanied by deforestation and transitions among clear water, turbid water, and sandbanks, indicating active sediment redistribution. Exchanges between water bodies and exposed sediments reflected shifts in erosion and deposition processes. Overall, illegal mining combined with extreme rainfall altered river morphology, sediment dynamics, and riparian land cover in the Amazonian fluvial system. The findings highlight growing environmental risks for biodiversity, water quality, and long-term stability of riparian ecosystems.</p>
</abstract>
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