Abstract
Rocky coastlines are frequently used for recreation, however, they are often highly exposed and hazardous environments resulting in high risk to visitors. Traditional approaches to managing human safety in coastal settings (such as the surf lifesaving clubs that have proven effective on beaches) are not necessarily transferable to rock platforms due to their often remote and fragmented distribution and the different recreational uses. As such, a different approach is required. To address this, we present a low-cost camera system to assess the wave hazard on a high-visitation rocky shore platform: the Figure Eight Pools Rock Platform, New South Wales, Australia. The camera system is shown to be highly effective and allows identification of both the distance and frequency of wave inundation on the platform using a novel pixel analysis technique. Nearshore wave height is shown to be the primary factor driving inundation frequencies along the cross-platform transect investigated with some influence from wave period. The remotely sensed camera data are used to develop a preliminary overwash hazard rating system, and analysis of the first month of data collected suggests that the platform is highly hazardous to visitors. Future work will expand this hazard rating system, developing a predictive tool that estimates the overwash hazard level based on forecast wave and tide conditions to improve visitor safety at the site.
Highlights
Temperate rocky coastlines are typically exposed environments that are subject to high wave energy
To investigate the relationship between ocean wave and water level conditions, and wave overwash at the site, we develop and apply a simple but effective camera monitoring system to measure wave overwash on the platform, concurrent with nearshore wave observations using a wave buoy
We present a five-month dataset of processed imagery that provides an hourly overwash hazard rating based on the coverage and frequency of overwash on the platform
Summary
Temperate rocky coastlines are typically exposed environments that are subject to high wave energy. These coastlines are often characterized by cliffs with sub-horizontal platforms at the base of the cliff (hereafter rock platforms) that often sit at approximately mean sea level but exist at a range of elevations [1,2]. Rock platforms attract a range of recreational uses, such as rock fishing, inter-tidal foraging and walking, but they are often hazardous environments as a result of high exposure to waves. For x < 2 m; for m & &Low XPIF = 0% for x ≥for == 0% xx ≥≥ 22 m
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