PROACTIVE COASTAL MANAGEMENT
COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS
Coastal monitoring programs are becoming a necessity for coastal land managers looking to proactively manage their coastline as the substantial impacts of climate change become better understood. The uncertainty surrounding the impacts of climate change and future rates of coastal recession makes coastal planning difficult. Without a coastal monitoring program the operational life of coastal assets such as houses, boat ramps, carparks and walking tracks can only be roughly estimated. Quantifying changes in the coastal zone through coastal monitoring allows land managers to identify erosion issues and track their evolution over time allowing adequate time to develop an appropriate climate change adaptation response.
Real time erosion data facilitates proactive coastal management.
The team at OMCN has experience in developing coastal monitoring programs for a number of different organisations across a range of different coastline types (sandy, cliffed and estuarine). Each coastal monitoring program developed at OMCN is tailored to your needs ensuring that all budgetary, technical and environmental constraints specific to your organisation are met. Our coastal monitoring programs can be developed to be run in house, by the community in a citizen science project or by us depending on your specific requirements.
WHAT DOES A COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAM TYPICALLY INVOLVE?
AERIAL IMAGERY ANALYSIS
Aerial imagery analysis is a common coastal monitoring technique used to track shoreline or clifftop change over time. It is very useful over large areas as it can be undertaken with relatively little effort. It is undertaken by comparing the shoreline position between aerial photographs taken at different points in time.
DRONE PHOTOGRAMETRY
Photogrammetry at its basic level is measuring using photographs, it works by triangulating the position of a feature using three or more overlapping photographs taken from a known position. Following the photo capture these photos are uploaded to a computer and the triangulation of the data is computed within photogrammetry software. The output is a 3-dimensional point cloud which has latitude, longitude and elevation. This data is then stitched together into a 3D digital elevation model of the site. This elevation model can provide great insights into sediment fluctualtions and erosion progression along the coastline.
PHOTO POINTS
Designated photo points can be set up which prompt the public to capture photos at important coastal monitoring locations and erosion “hot spots”. Dr Martin Fluker a lecturer at Victoria University has developed an easy to replicate photo point technique as part of the Fluker Post Research Project. This techniques consists of a timber “fluker” post which provides the public with all the information required to capture the desired photo and a complimentary App which uploads the photo to a database. This coastal monitoring technique is favoured by many land managers as once set up the community does all the work and staff can spend time on other activities.
BEACH LEVEL POSTS
Beach levels installed along the beach provide valuable coastal monitoring information on sediment fluctuations on the upper beach face. Long-term trends of sediment depths can provide insights into how a beach is responding to sea level rise and increased storm frequency associated with climate change.
BEACH PROFILE SURVEYS
Understanding trends in the spatial and temporal distribution of sand along the beach profile can provide valuable information for the management of the coast. This coastal monitoring technique is commonly used as a Citizen Science Project by coastal land managers as the activity is relatively simple and provides a great opportunity to engage the local community and raise awareness of coastal management issues.
STRUCTURED SITE ASSESSMENTS
Monitoring of coastal erosion should be completed regularly if it’s identified that the erosion could evolve to impact coastal assets or potentially result in a public safety risk. OMCN has developed an easy to follow assessment checklist which steps you through the processes of analysing erosion progression. These assessments should be undertaken after large storm events which typically coincide with significant erosion events.
Want to understand more about coastal monitoring programs?
“Successful management of South Australia’s coastline requires a detailed understanding of local coastal environments and processes.”
— Department of Environment and Water (SA Gov)