Australia鈥檚 coastline is one of the country鈥檚 greatest natural, economic and cultural resources. The asset value of existing beach-front infrastructure is immeasurable. Climate change is driving sea level rise and changing regional wave climates, resulting in coastal erosion and increasing threats to coastal sustainability.
This research project launches a strategic international collaboration between university, industry, and government to address the considerable and growing pressure for solutions to observe and forecast accelerating shoreline erosion. The initiative is a proactive response to the October 2009 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change Report:听Managing our Coastal Zone in a Changing Climate, that identified the urgent need to better understand the risks of coastal erosion through monitoring and modelling.
The study addresses the knowledge gap between advancing Climate Change science, and the lagging development of our ability to quantify, assess and forecast coastal variability and change.
The three-year project is establishing and rigorously testing a practical approach for establishing baseline coastal monitoring at 10 beaches along the NSW open coastline (Lennox Head, Sawtell, Dixon Park - Newcastle, Wamberal, Terrigal, Collaroy-Narrabeen, Manly, Wanda Beach - Cronulla, Thirroul and Shoalhaven) to build an empirical shoreline model that will enable prediction of wave and sea level impacts on beaches anywhere in the world.
Complementary to existing water-level and ocean wave monitoring programs that already exist around much of the Australian continent, the purpose of this present effort is to initiate and demonstrate the practical capability and value of sustained, automated and ongoing coastline monitoring (via surf camera technology) in support of coastal management, engineering and research.
Intensive RTK-GPS beach surveying, LiDAR, bathymetric surveying and inshore wave monitoring using aircraft, jetskis, quadbikes, cameras and buoys, are underway to rigorously test the applicability of existing and new coastal camera infrastructure to routinely obtain automated measurements of local wave climate and shoreline variability.
Of particular importance, is the application of this new data to underpin new developments in forecasting seasonal to multi-decadal shoreline variability and change.
- Project Partners
- Funding
- Refereed Journals
- Conference Proceedings (Peer-Reviewed)
- Conferences/Workshops (Non Peer-Reviewed
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- Splinter, K.D. Turner, I.L. and Davidson, M.A. 2013.听How much data is enough? The importance of morphological sampling interval and duration for calibration of empirical shoreline models.听Coastal Engineering, 77, 14-27. (DOI: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2013.02.009)
- Davidson, M.A., Splinter, K.D. and Turner, I.L., 2013.听A simple equilibrium model for predicting shoreline change. Coastal Engineering, 73, 191-202.
- Splinter, K.D., Turner, I.L. and Davidson, M.A., 2013.听Monitoring data requirements for shoreline prediction: How much, how long, and how often?听Journal of Coastal Research, SI65 (ICS2013), 2179-2184.
- Mole, M.A., Mortlock, T., Turner, I.L., Goodwin, I.D., Splinter, K.D., Short, A.D.听Capitalizing on the surfcam phenomenon: a pilot study in regional-scale shoreline and inshore monitoring utilizing existing camera infrastructure, 2013. Journal of Coastal Research, SI65 (ICS2013), 1433-1438.
- Davidson, M.A., Turner, I.L., Guza, R.T., 2011.听The effect of temporal wave averaging on the performance of an empirical shoreline evolution model. Coastal Engineering, 58, 802-805.
- Middleton, J.H., Cooke, C.G., Kearney, E.T., Mumford, P.J., Mole., M.A., Nippard, G.J., Rizos, C., Splinter, K.S., Turner, I.L. [alphabetical],听Resolution and accuracy of an airborne scanning laser system for beach surveys,听Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean Technology.
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- Mortlock, T.R., Goodwin, I.D., Turner, I.L., (Abstract accepted).听Longshore variability in nearshore wave climates at two embayed compartments on the central New South Wales coast.听Coasts & Ports, Engineers Australia, Sydney, September 11-13.
- Splinter, K.D., Turner, I.L., Davidson, M.A., (Abstract accepted).听How well do you know your beach? Monitoring requirements for the application of an equilibrium shoreline model.听Coasts & Ports, Engineers Australia, Sydney, September 11-13.
- Mumford, P.J., Nippard, G., Middleton, J.H., Kearney, E., Cooke, C., Turner, I.L., Mole, M.A., Splinter, K.D. 2011.听The Airborne Science Imitative LiDAR Beach Survey: development and results. International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Society IGNSS Symposium 2011.听Sydney NSW 15-17 November.
- Turner, I.L., Goodwin, I.G., Davidson, M.A., Short, A.D., Pritchard, T.R., Cameron, D.W., MacDonald, T., Middleton, J., Splinter, K.D. 2011.听Planning for an Australian National Coastal Observatory - monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate. Coasts and Ports 2011, Engineers Australia, Perth WA, 28-30 September.
- Mole, M.A., Davidson, M.A., Turner, I.L., Goodwin, I.D. 2011.听Forecasting seasonal to multi-year shoreline change on the east Australian coast.听Coasts and Ports 2011, Engineers Australia, Perth WA, 28-30 September.
- Kearney, E.T., Harley, M.D., Turner, I.L., Wyeth, B., Goodwin, I.D. 2011.听An energy-based empirical model of storm-induced shoreline erosion, Gold Coast, Australia. Coasts and Ports 2011, Engineers Australia, Perth WA, 28-30 September.
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- Splinter, K.M, Davidson, M.A, and Turner, I.L.听Modelling equilibrium shoreline response: application across multiple sites and minimum data collection requirements.听(Abstract). American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, December 2012.
- Davidson, M.A., Turner, I.L., Splinter, K.M.听Predicting shoreline response to cross-shore processes in a changing wave climate.Coastal Dynamics 2013, ASCE, Bordeaux, France.
- Turner, I.L., Symonds, G., Carley, J.T., Cox, R.J., 2012.听Litoral zone modelling: status and data requirements in Australia.Australian Coastal and Ocean Modelling and Observations (ACOMO), Australian Academy of Sciences, October 3-4.
- Mole, M.A., Turner, I.L., Davidson, M.A., Turner, I.L., Splinter, K.D. and Goodwin, I.D., 2012.听Modelling multi-decadal shoreline variability and evolution.听33rd International Conference on Coastal Engineering, ASCE, Santander, Spain.
- Turner, I.L., Cameron, D., Davidson, M., Goodwin, I., Hanslow, D., Kearney, E., Lane, C., Macdonald, T., Mole, M., Mortlock, T., Pritchard, T., Splinter, K., Short, A.,听Monitoring and forecasting present and future shoreline variability in a changing climate.Coast2Coast Conference, Brisbane, September 2012.
- Turner, I.L., 2012.听Planning for Coastal-Climate change along the New South Wales open coastline: summary of statewide SLR policy, and an emerging knowledge gap (Astract).听Coastal Cities and SL Rise Workshop, Australian Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), San Diego, October.
- Turner, I.L., 2012.听Planning for an Australian National Coastal Observatory: monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate (Abstract).听3rd Australia-China Ocean Science & Technology Symposium (3ACOST). Sydney Institute for Marine Science, May.
- Splinter, K.D., 2011.听Planning for an Australian National Coastal Observatory - monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate.听Sydney Coastal Councils Group Technical Meeting (invited presentation). October 13, 2011.
- Pritchard, T.R., Turner, I.L., Goodwin, I.D., Davidson, I.D., Short, A.D., Lane, C., Cameron, D.W., Macdonald, T., Splinter, K.D., Mole, M.A., Kearney, E., Middleton, J.H., 2011.听Prospects for an National Coastal Observatory.听20th NSW Coastal Conference, 18 - 21 November, Tweed Heads.
- Turner, I.L.,听Planning for a National Coastal Observatory.听2010. National Coastal Observation Network Workshop (invited presentation). NSW DECCW, Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
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