A shoreline detection method with X-band marine radar

Abstract

The assessment of morphological mapping capacity of X-band radars is performed by comparing radar-derived shoreline estimates with in-situ data measured from DGPS-RTK surveys in Cala Millor beach (October 22–24, 2018). Radar estimates are obtained by applying an automatic method based on digital image processing, threshold segmentation and first-order derivative filters on X-Band radar variance images. The study site is covered by the endemic Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow at the seabed. It represents a challenge on the estimation of local shoreline. Results reveal that X-band radar estimate the shoreline location with a mean bias of 4.66 m, a relative error of 2.95% and a RMSE of 14.07 m. Also, the beach morphology is assessed by the identification of surrounding rocky outcrops and a submerged sandbar. Since the obtained radar estimation errors are comparable with the reported by previous studies but using video-cameras, results reveal a potential complementary use of both marine radars and optical cameras to provide higher-resolution and more accurate shoreline measurements in a broader area.