Presentation Abstract

Boat-based lidar of Puget Sound shorelines collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology are developed to provide a comprehensive inventory, classification, and analyses of site conditions and variability. For example, quantitative metrics of shoreline characteristics are derived from DEMs such as bluff crest height, bluff slope, bluff toe elevation, beach slope, and shoreline armoring elevations. These metrics can then be compiled and compared within and among drift cells to determine regional variability such as differences between updrift and downdrift beaches and the effect of fetch, orientation, and other exposure variables. Certain features can also be correlated to characterize how the shoreline landscape may be affecting nearshore ecosystem services. For example, variability and gradients in beach slope and width may be correlated to proximity to feeder bluff activity and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the shoreline and backshore. Upland development and shoreline modification may be correlated to the amount of overhanging vegetation, large woody debris, or beach wrack, and these findings can be compared to conditions at undeveloped shorelines. Details in the lidar point clouds, such as intensity values, can help identify groundwater seepage and potential bluff failure and erosion mechanisms. The complementary photos to the lidar point clouds provide additional documentation of bluff geology, stratigraphy, groundwater flow, and other characteristics to help assess relative bluff stability.

Session Title

Posters: Monitoring: Species & Habitats

Keywords

lidar, Puget Sound, Beach, Bluff, Topography, Mapping, Shoreline armor, Overhanging vegetation, Beach wrack, Armor encroachment

Conference Track

SSE18: Posters

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE18-100

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--Washinton (State)--Puget Sound; Watershed management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

Washington (State). Department of Ecology

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

COinS
 
Apr 5th, 11:30 AM Apr 5th, 1:30 PM

Puget Sound shoreline inventory and assessment using boat-based lidar

Boat-based lidar of Puget Sound shorelines collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology are developed to provide a comprehensive inventory, classification, and analyses of site conditions and variability. For example, quantitative metrics of shoreline characteristics are derived from DEMs such as bluff crest height, bluff slope, bluff toe elevation, beach slope, and shoreline armoring elevations. These metrics can then be compiled and compared within and among drift cells to determine regional variability such as differences between updrift and downdrift beaches and the effect of fetch, orientation, and other exposure variables. Certain features can also be correlated to characterize how the shoreline landscape may be affecting nearshore ecosystem services. For example, variability and gradients in beach slope and width may be correlated to proximity to feeder bluff activity and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the shoreline and backshore. Upland development and shoreline modification may be correlated to the amount of overhanging vegetation, large woody debris, or beach wrack, and these findings can be compared to conditions at undeveloped shorelines. Details in the lidar point clouds, such as intensity values, can help identify groundwater seepage and potential bluff failure and erosion mechanisms. The complementary photos to the lidar point clouds provide additional documentation of bluff geology, stratigraphy, groundwater flow, and other characteristics to help assess relative bluff stability.