Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Geomorphological Monitoring Program — Ocean Shoreline Position

Psuty, Norbert

Shoreline change is a basic element in the management of any coastal system because it contributes to the understanding of the functioning of the natural resources and to the administration of the cultural resources within the parks. Collection of information on the vectors of change relies on the establishment of a rigorous system of protocols to monitor elements of the coastal geomorphology that are guided by three basic principles: 1) all of the elements in the protocols are to be based on scientific principles; 2) the products of the monitoring must relate to issues of importance to park management; and 3) the application of the protocols must be capable of implementation at the local level within the NCBN Network. Changes in shoreline position are recognized as interacting with many other elements of the Ocean Beach-Dune Ecosystem and are thus both driving and responding to the variety of natural and cultural factors active at the coast at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. The direction and magnitude of shoreline change can be monitored through the application of a protocol that tracks the spatial position of the neap-tide, high tide swash line under conditions of temporal sampling. Spring and fall surveys conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures will generate consistent and comparable shoreline position data sets that can be incorporated within a data matrix and subsequently analyzed for temporal and spatial variations.The shoreline monitoring protocol will be applied to the four coastal parks in the NCBN: Assateague Island National Seashore, Cape Cod National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area, and Fire Island National Seashore. Monitoring will be accomplished with a sub-meter GPS unit that is mounted on an ATV and driven along the swash line. Under the guidance of a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the monitoring will generate comparable data sets. Shoreline change metrics are developed following the methodology of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System developed by the United States Geological Survey. Annual Reports and Trend Reports will present and analyze the collected data sets. All of the data will be archived in the NCBN master data bank.

Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Geomorphological Monitoring Program — Ocean Shoreline Position

Program

Products

Collections