FCE LTER collaborator Randall Parkinson presents a new living shoreline site suitability tool in an hour-long webinar to the LTER.
When: November 21, 2023, 8:00 am PT/11 am ET.
Link: https://fiu.zoom.us/j/92502700517?pwd=QmZaZXNKZGVKZXBWVVZNZFRmLzRLQT09
Lead Project Investigator: Randall W. Parkinson, Ph.D., P.G., Research Associate Professor, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida. rparkins@fiu.edu
Co-investigators: Zhaohui Jennifer Fu, Levente Juhasz, Ph.D., and Jinwen Xu, Ph.D.
Sponsor: The US EPA Region 4 Wetland Development Program
Synopsis: Most (all?) living shoreline site selection and installation design decision support tools are based upon existing conditions (e.g., nearshore slope, presence of shore protection structures, nearshore and upland habitat, wind/wave exposure). We describe an EPA funded project that has developed a geospatial tool which incorporates a matrix of NOAA Interagency Sea-Level Rise Scenarios, generated from tide gauge stations proximal to the study domain, to characterize future conditions. Tool attributes and the user-interface were informed by and benefited from input provided by our project partners during numerous one-on-one workshops. Once the user selects a location of interest, sea-level rise scenario (e.g., Intermediate High) and target year (e.g., 2050), the tool will provide plan-view and cross-sectional information specific to their selection including upland topography (e.g., DEM, elevation profile and slope) and scenario-specific future conditions (e.g., shoreline location, parcel ownership, land use, and demographic data). These outputs can then be used to evaluate shoreline suitability and installation resilience in the context of future conditions, including (but not limited to): (a) availability of horizontal accommodation space (e.g., present, encroachment possible) and (b) access (e.g., site remains publicly owned and thus long-term maintenance is possible). The tool can also be populated with other geospatial data as may be requested by the practitioner (e.g., stormwater outfalls, coastal structures, other suitability criteria). Although designed for use in the Indian River Lagoon (east-central coast of Florida), the tool can be seamlessly customized for use in other regions where the requisite data are available.