Australia’s coastline is one of the country’s 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:ÌýManaging 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.ÌýHow much data is enough? The importance of morphological sampling interval and duration for calibration of empirical shoreline models.ÌýCoastal Engineering, 77, 14-27. (DOI: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2013.02.009)
- Davidson, M.A., Splinter, K.D. and Turner, I.L., 2013.ÌýA simple equilibrium model for predicting shoreline change. Coastal Engineering, 73, 191-202.
- Splinter, K.D., Turner, I.L. and Davidson, M.A., 2013.ÌýMonitoring data requirements for shoreline prediction: How much, how long, and how often?ÌýJournal of Coastal Research, SI65 (ICS2013), 2179-2184.
- Mole, M.A., Mortlock, T., Turner, I.L., Goodwin, I.D., Splinter, K.D., Short, A.D.ÌýCapitalizing 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.ÌýThe 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],ÌýResolution and accuracy of an airborne scanning laser system for beach surveys,ÌýJournal of Atmospheric and Ocean Technology.
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- Mortlock, T.R., Goodwin, I.D., Turner, I.L., (Abstract accepted).ÌýLongshore variability in nearshore wave climates at two embayed compartments on the central New South Wales coast.ÌýCoasts & Ports, Engineers Australia, Sydney, September 11-13.
- Splinter, K.D., Turner, I.L., Davidson, M.A., (Abstract accepted).ÌýHow well do you know your beach? Monitoring requirements for the application of an equilibrium shoreline model.ÌýCoasts & 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.ÌýThe Airborne Science Imitative LiDAR Beach Survey: development and results. International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Society IGNSS Symposium 2011.ÌýSydney 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.ÌýPlanning 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.ÌýForecasting seasonal to multi-year shoreline change on the east Australian coast.ÌýCoasts 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.ÌýAn 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.ÌýModelling equilibrium shoreline response: application across multiple sites and minimum data collection requirements.Ìý(Abstract). American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, December 2012.
- Davidson, M.A., Turner, I.L., Splinter, K.M.ÌýPredicting 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.ÌýLitoral 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.ÌýModelling multi-decadal shoreline variability and evolution.Ìý33rd 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.,ÌýMonitoring and forecasting present and future shoreline variability in a changing climate.Coast2Coast Conference, Brisbane, September 2012.
- Turner, I.L., 2012.ÌýPlanning for Coastal-Climate change along the New South Wales open coastline: summary of statewide SLR policy, and an emerging knowledge gap (Astract).ÌýCoastal Cities and SL Rise Workshop, Australian Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), San Diego, October.
- Turner, I.L., 2012.ÌýPlanning for an Australian National Coastal Observatory: monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate (Abstract).Ìý3rd Australia-China Ocean Science & Technology Symposium (3ACOST). Sydney Institute for Marine Science, May.
- Splinter, K.D., 2011.ÌýPlanning for an Australian National Coastal Observatory - monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate.ÌýSydney 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.ÌýProspects for an National Coastal Observatory.Ìý20th NSW Coastal Conference, 18 - 21 November, Tweed Heads.
- Turner, I.L.,ÌýPlanning for a National Coastal Observatory.Ìý2010. National Coastal Observation Network Workshop (invited presentation). NSW DECCW, Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
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