How should surface elevation table data be analyzed? A comparison of several commonly used analysis methods and one newly proposed approach
Russell BT, Cressman KA, Schmit J, Shull S, Rybczyk JM, Frost DL. 2022. How should surface elevation table data be analyzed? A comparison of several commonly used analysis methods and one newly proposed approach. Environmental and Ecological Statistics
The use of surface elevation table (SET) instruments to monitor elevation changes at low elevation coastal locations has steadily increased in recent years. A primary focus in the analysis of SET data is the estimation of the overall rate of elevation change, and numerous approaches have been used for this purpose. In this work, we compare and contrast several methods used for estimating the true rate of elevation change at SET station locations, including a novel approach proposed in this work that incorporates spatial dependence. We also discuss theoretical properties of one class of estimators, and undertake a comprehensive simulation study. Additionally, we present two case studies where we illustrate these differences using real SET data. All methods considered here tend to produce similar point estimates, but some confidence interval procedures can generate intervals with empirical coverage rates lower than specified. However, the best analysis approach is likely dependent upon selecting the method that best coincides with the true underlying process. Thus, we do not uniformly recommend one approach for all situations. Instead, we suggest carefully weighing potential advantages and disadvantages of each method before conducting analysis, while keeping in mind the ways in which modeling assumptions may impact this decision.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Russell, Brook; Cressman, Kimberly; Schmit, John Paul; Shull, Suzanne; Rybczyk, John; Frost, David
- Units
- NCR , NCRN
- Keywords
- Estuaries, Linear mixed models, Modeling spatial dependence, ncrn periodical, Rate of elevation change, SET, Simple linear regression, Simulation study, surface elevation tables