Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Geomorphological Monitoring Protocol: Part I—Ocean Shoreline Position, Version 2

Abstract

Following a review of Vital Signs – indicators of ecosystem health – in the coastal parks of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN), knowledge of shoreline change was ranked as the top variable for monitoring. Shoreline change is a basic element in the management of any coastal system because it contributes to the understanding of the functioning of the natural resources and to the administration of the cultural resources within the parks. Collection of information on the vectors of change relies on the establishment of a rigorous system of protocols to monitor elements of the coastal geomorphology that are guided by three basic principles: 1) all of the elements in the protocols are to be based on scientific principles; 2) the products of the monitoring must relate to issues of importance to park management; and 3) the application of the protocols must be capable of implementation at the local level within the NCBN. Changes in ocean shoreline position are recognized as interacting with many other elements of the Ocean Beach-Dune Ecosystem and are thus both driving and responding to the variety of natural and cultural factors active at the coast at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. The direction and magnitude of shoreline change can be monitored through the application of a protocol that tracks the spatial position of the neap-tide, high tide swash line under well-defined conditions of temporal sampling. Spring and fall surveys conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures will generate consistent and comparable shoreline position data sets that can be incorporated within a data matrix and subsequently analyzed for temporal and spatial variations. The Ocean Shoreline Position Monitoring Protocol will be applied to six parks in the NCBN: Assateague Island National Seashore, Cape Cod National Seashore, Fire Island National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Monitoring will be accomplished with a Global Positioning System (GPS )/ Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) unit capable of sub-meter horizontal accuracy that is usually mounted on an off-road vehicle and driven along the swash line. Under the guidance of a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (Psuty et al., 2022), the monitoring will generate comparable data sets. The protocol will produce shoreline change metrics following the methodology of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System developed by the United States Geological Survey. Annual Data Summaries and Trend Reports will present and analyze the collected data sets. All collected data will undergo rigorous quality-assurance and quality-control procedures and will be archived at the offices of the NCBN. All monitoring products will be made available via the National Park Service’s Integrated Resource Management Applications Portal.