The USGS iCoast is a way for citizen scientists to identify changes to the coast by comparing aerial photographs taken before and after storms.
When asseessing coastal vulnerability to extreme storms, the USGS has developed a Storm-Impact Scale to produce Coastal Change Probability estimates.
The hurricane-induced water levels, due to both storm surge and waves, are compared to beach and dune elevations to determine the probabilities of these types of coastal change processes:
1. Beach Erosion-occurs when wave runup is confined to the beach
2. Dune Erosion-occurs when the base of the dune is eroded by waves and storm surge
3. Overwash- occurs when sand is transported and deposited landward over the beach and dune by waves and storm surge
4. Inundation- occurs when the beach and dune are completely and continuously submerged by stormsurge and wave runup
How to use iCoast:
Step 1: Log on to USGS iCoast with a Google Account
Step 2: Choose a Photo to Tag (a random photo, or use the map to find a photo)
Step 3: Complete 5 Tagging Tasks by Comparing the Pre- & Post-Storm Photos Using Magnifier Tool & Help Boxes, and Clicking the Predefined Tag Buttons
Step 4: See your Tagging Statistics, then choose another photo to tag
For more information on iCoast check out:
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/icoast
No comments:
Post a Comment