Abstract

Linear-Referenced Coastal Geomorphology in the National Hydrography Dataset
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Jeffrey Simley, Cynthia Corbett

The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) represents the 94,000-mile coastline of the United States as a linear vector feature. To enhance the value of this feature, coastal geomorphology attributes are being linked to identify the risk of erosion. This will provide NHD users an understanding of the stable to transitional nature of coastlines by indicating the likelihood for change in coastline position. The risk of erosion information comes from previous coastal geomorphology studies by the U.S. Department of Energy to assess coastal vulnerability to horizontal change and sea-level trends. Associated coastal parameters on geology, elevation, tidal-range, wave height, and sea-level trends are being evaluated for future inclusion. The coastal geomorphology information is being added using linear referencing to the existing coastline feature. This allows the integration of information without adding to the complexity of the existing data structure.