Monitoring Shoreline Position at Gulf Coast Network Parks: Protocol Implementation Plan

Bracewell, Jeff

The Gulf Coast Network will follow Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network methods for monitoring coastal geomorphology as documented in Psuty et al. (2010), to monitor shoreline position at Gulf Islands and Padre Island National Seashores. Handheld and utility task vehicle (UTV)-mounted Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) will be used to record shoreline position by walking or driving the high tide swash line. The implementation of the NCBN Ocean Shoreline Position Protocol in the Gulf Coast Network will require some modifications. The most fundamental change among these is related to survey frequency and is revealed in both monitoring objectives and monitoring questions. Monitoring Objective: The GULN monitoring objective is to identify the biennial and long-term trends and variability of shoreline position in network parks. This contrasts with NCBN's objective, which includes seasonal surveys in spring and fall to reveal both annual and seasonal variability (Psuty et al. 2010, p. 9). By reducing the survey frequency, the Gulf Coast Network can maintain an achievable long-term workload while still providing meaningful information about geomorphological change on its seashore parks. Monitoring Questions: The Gulf Coast Network’s monitoring questions are: (1) What is the displacement of the shoreline? (2) What are the biennial dimensions of the displacement? (3) What are the long-term dimensions of the displacement? (4) What are the spatial and temporal trends in the shoreline displacement? These questions differ from the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network in excluding seasonal variation and looking at biennial rather than seasonal and annual dimensions of displacement (Psuty et al. 2010, p. 9)

Monitoring Shoreline Position at Gulf Coast Network Parks: Protocol Implementation Plan

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