Coastline Display at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco

Search all stories:

Home || Sections: Fieldwork | Research | Outreach | Meetings | Awards | Staff & Center News | Publications || Archives

Coastline Display at Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco

By Abby Sallenger
January 1999

in this issue:

previous story | next story

Laser Surveys Show El Niño's Effects

An interactive version of the display is online. Follow the Interactive Lidar Mapping Display link from the introduction page

Several presentations and a 9-m-long exhibit showing 1200 km of coastline, given at the Fall AGU Meeting held December 6-10 in San Francisco, focused on changes along the west coast of the U.S. during the 1997-98 El Niño season. Airborne laser terrain mapping allows scientists to map large areas quickly to determine shoreline change after a storm. Up to 5,000 spot elevations with a vertical accuracy of about 10 cm can be collected per second while traveling over the coast at about 45 m per second.

This technology, known as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), uses a laser developed by NASA, deployed aboard a Twin Otter aircraft from NOAA. The USGS, NASA, and NOAA mapped 1200 km of the west coast in October, 1997, and in April, 1998. Some changes to the shoreline from the recent El Niño storms include an area in central Washington that was eroded by 130 m, an area of coastline in northern California that accreted 120 m, massive coastal landslides north of San Francisco, and many examples of cliff and dune erosion of 15 to 20 m. Before and after aerial photographs of the coast are displayed to help visualize the changes shown in laser data.

In addition to the 1200 km of coastline on display, the following related presentations were made:

"Evaluation of Aircraft Laser Altimetry in Coastal Geomorphological Studies— Examples of U.S. West Coast El Niño and East Coast Nor'easter Storm Impacts."
"Redistribution of Sand on Pocket Beaches During the 1997-98 El Niño."
"Coastal Erosion Along the U.S. West Coast During the 1997-98 El Niño: Expectations and Observations."

Coastal Erosion Along the U.S. West Coast During the 1997-98 El Niño: Expectations and Observations
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Hurricane & Extreme Storm Impact Studies
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

in this issue:

previous story | next story

January 1999

Mailing List:
Sign up to receive monthly email updates:

in this issue: Gas Hydrate Shear Strength

Deep-Water Moorings Recovered

Coastal SWATH Tests

Cape Cod Seafloor Imagery

cover story:
New Program-Wide Newsletter

Lecture: Tsunami!

Lecture: Navassa Island

Seminar: South Florida Ecosystem Restoration

NAS/NRC Review

Coastline Lidar Display at AGU

Long Island Sound

INATURES Lessons Learned

Director Visits Menlo Park

Eastern Region Council Visits Woods Hole

Note From the Editor

January Publications List