Crowd-sourced identification of the beach-dune interface

Abstract

The dune toe is the boundary at the beach-dune interface that is important to our understanding of foredune development, storm-impact assessments, and management decisions. Although there are several morphometric based estimates of the dune toe, there is no consensus on an operational definition and whether those metrics match field observations. This study uses a crowd-source approach to compare dune toe selections and definitions among members of the Geomorphology Listserv. Respondent selections of the dune toe varied depending on the type of imagery used, the complexity of the backshore, and the self-identified expertise of the respondent. The variation by method and research background raises important questions about how landform boundaries are identified in coastal geomorphology and possibly within other areas of geomorphology.