Pattern Analysis of Coastal Bedform Morphology in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Presentation Abstract
The structural pattern and benthic ecology of the coastal seafloor of the Strait of Juan de Fuca along the Olympic Peninsula Coast is punctuated by prominent bedforms resulting from a complex tectonic history and glaciation, and currently is affected by coastal sedimentation, along with ongoing oceanographic processes. With the objective of characterizing these observed bedforms, and to quantify the complexity in their relative spatial pattern, high-resolution multibeam sonar data were acquired on November 15th 2016 along the Olympic Coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, adjacent to the Elwha River delta. The data was acquired with a Simrad EM302 multibeam sonar and post-processed in CARIS HIPS and SIPS to create a surface using a two-meter resolution. It was then imported into the ArcGIS software suite for the generation of spatial pattern metrics of individual and grouped seafloor features. The analysis identified three distinct bedforms, with very similar length, width, and height ratios, in a general north-south orientation. Additional surface roughness metrics characterized variation between the slope, aspect, and relative orientation of the bedforms. These data illustrates the fine scale variation in geomorphic processes which are active in this region, and provides a baseline for long-term change analysis of the coastal seafloor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Session Title
Remote sensing technology to monitor the short and long term dynamic of the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Protection, Remediation, & Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine sediments--Juan de Fuca, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.); Geomorphology--Juan de Fuca, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.); Oceanography--Equipment and supplies
Geographic Coverage
Juan de Fuca, Strait of (B.C. and Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Pattern Analysis of Coastal Bedform Morphology in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
2016SSEC
The structural pattern and benthic ecology of the coastal seafloor of the Strait of Juan de Fuca along the Olympic Peninsula Coast is punctuated by prominent bedforms resulting from a complex tectonic history and glaciation, and currently is affected by coastal sedimentation, along with ongoing oceanographic processes. With the objective of characterizing these observed bedforms, and to quantify the complexity in their relative spatial pattern, high-resolution multibeam sonar data were acquired on November 15th 2016 along the Olympic Coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, adjacent to the Elwha River delta. The data was acquired with a Simrad EM302 multibeam sonar and post-processed in CARIS HIPS and SIPS to create a surface using a two-meter resolution. It was then imported into the ArcGIS software suite for the generation of spatial pattern metrics of individual and grouped seafloor features. The analysis identified three distinct bedforms, with very similar length, width, and height ratios, in a general north-south orientation. Additional surface roughness metrics characterized variation between the slope, aspect, and relative orientation of the bedforms. These data illustrates the fine scale variation in geomorphic processes which are active in this region, and provides a baseline for long-term change analysis of the coastal seafloor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
