Multitemporal Assessment of Coastal Erosion: Case studies from the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Over two billion people live in coastal regions worldwide. With such a large volume of people living near the ocean, it is important to understand how coasts are changing over time. The goal of this study is to explore how barrier islands undergo coastal erosion and how their shapes change in response. Barrier islands line mainland coastal areas and are their first line of defense from open waters. In this study, satellite images of Horn Island from 1984 to 2016, Cumberland Island from 1988 to 2019, and Venice Lido from 1985 to 2019 were carefully traced. The traced images were processed in order to measure changes over time in their shape and size and indicated that Horn Island’s area decreased by .42% each year of the study, Cumberland Island’s area decreased by .29% each year, and Venice Lido increased by .16% per year. Understanding the magnitude and behavior of change can lead to an understanding of the mechanisms driving the change. With sea levels projected to continue rising, it is imperative to offer information on how coasts are predicted to change in response to sea level rise to those that live near them.