Presentation Abstract
In an effort to collect high-resolution baseline coastal topographic data of beaches and bluffs around the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington State Department of Ecology Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP) conducted a series of boat-based lidar surveys in October 2013, May through September 2015, and May 2016 at a total of 16 sites spanning 220 km of shoreline and over two dozen drift cells. The drift cells were selected based on a rigorous and systematic geospatial analysis of bluff-backed beaches for their potential for significant bluff sediment supply to intact shorelines identified as having a relative abundance of habitat for forage fish, eelgrass, herring, shellfish, and geoduck, as well as having previous investments in beach restoration projects, and potential for future shoreline armoring and habitat loss based on population growth scenarios. As such, the surveyed drift cells are top candidates for implementing drift cell-scale protection and restoration strategies. The boat-based lidar and GPS topography data were used to produce 0.5-m digital elevation models (DEMs) for the beaches and bluffs at each of the survey sites. These DEMs provide the opportunity to inventory and characterize the shoreline landscape that affects nearshore ecosystem services such as feeder bluff activity, beach slope and width, and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the backshore. Boat-based lidar provides an advantageous point of view of the bluff face, resulting in high resolution data which is needed to gain insight into bluff failure and erosion mechanisms and corresponding sediment transport processes. In addition, it successfully collects data under overhanging vegetation and overwater structures. Repeat surveys in the future would enable change analyses for quantifying bluff sediment supply, changes in marine riparian vegetation, and a better understanding of the linkages between physical and ecological processes.
Session Title
Posters: Monitoring: Species & Habitats
Keywords
lidar, Puget Sound, beach, bluff, topography, mapping, survey, elevation
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-99
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Coastal mapping--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Cliffs--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Coastal sediments--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Watershed management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Washington (State). Coastal Zone Management Program
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (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
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
High resolution mapping of Puget Sound shorelines
In an effort to collect high-resolution baseline coastal topographic data of beaches and bluffs around the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington State Department of Ecology Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP) conducted a series of boat-based lidar surveys in October 2013, May through September 2015, and May 2016 at a total of 16 sites spanning 220 km of shoreline and over two dozen drift cells. The drift cells were selected based on a rigorous and systematic geospatial analysis of bluff-backed beaches for their potential for significant bluff sediment supply to intact shorelines identified as having a relative abundance of habitat for forage fish, eelgrass, herring, shellfish, and geoduck, as well as having previous investments in beach restoration projects, and potential for future shoreline armoring and habitat loss based on population growth scenarios. As such, the surveyed drift cells are top candidates for implementing drift cell-scale protection and restoration strategies. The boat-based lidar and GPS topography data were used to produce 0.5-m digital elevation models (DEMs) for the beaches and bluffs at each of the survey sites. These DEMs provide the opportunity to inventory and characterize the shoreline landscape that affects nearshore ecosystem services such as feeder bluff activity, beach slope and width, and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the backshore. Boat-based lidar provides an advantageous point of view of the bluff face, resulting in high resolution data which is needed to gain insight into bluff failure and erosion mechanisms and corresponding sediment transport processes. In addition, it successfully collects data under overhanging vegetation and overwater structures. Repeat surveys in the future would enable change analyses for quantifying bluff sediment supply, changes in marine riparian vegetation, and a better understanding of the linkages between physical and ecological processes.
