River islands are sandbars formed by scouring and silting. Their evolution is affected by several factors, among which are runoff and sediment discharge. The spatial-temporal evolution of seven river islands in the Nanjing Section of the Yangtze River of China was examined using TM (Thematic Mapper) and ETM (Enhanced Thematic Mapper)+ images from 1985 to 2015 at five year intervals. The following approaches were applied in this study: the threshold value method, binarization model, image registration, image cropping, convolution and cluster analysis. Annual runoff and sediment discharge data as measured at the Datong hydrological station upstream of Nanjing section were also used to determine the roles and impacts of various factors. The results indicated that: (1) TM/ETM+ images met the criteria of information extraction of river islands; (2) generally, the total area of these islands in this section and their changing rate decreased over time; (3) sediment and river discharge were the most significant factors in island evolution. They directly affect river islands through silting or erosion. Additionally, anthropocentric influences could play increasingly important roles.

A river island is a shaped sediment accumulation body with its top above the water’s surface in crooked or branching streams. In this paper, four river islands in Yangzhong City in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were studied. The spatio-temporal evolution information of the islands was quantitatively extracted using the threshold value method, binarization model, and cluster analysis, based on Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ (ETM+) images of the Landsat satellite series from 1985 to 2015. The variation mechanism and influencing factors were analyzed using an unstructured-grid, Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM) hydrodynamic numerical simulation, as well as the water-sediment data measured by hydrological stations. The annual average total area of these islands was 251,224.46 m2 during 1985–2015, and the total area first increased during 1985–2000 and decreased later during 2000–2015. Generally, the total area increased during these 30 years. Taipingzhou island had the largest area and the biggest changing rate, Xishadao island had the smallest area, and Zhongxinsha island had the smallest changing rate. The river islands’ area change was influenced by river runoff, sediment discharge, and precipitation, and sediment discharge proved to be the most significant natural factor in island evolution. River island evolution was also found to be affected by both runoff and oceanic tide. The difference in flow-field caused silting up in the Leigongdao Island and the head of Taipingzhou Island, and a serious reduction in the middle and tail of Taipingzhou Island. The method used in this paper has good applicability to river islands in other rivers around the world.