Southern California Coastal Hazards

Primary components

• High resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
  • Fill-in technology
• Spectral wave model
• Model prediction system (MOP)
  • Tide model
  • Other models
    • Surge model
    • Run-up model
    • Longshore transport model
    • Profile change model
    • Probabilistic cliff failure model

High resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

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Fill-in technology

An all-terrain vehicle (ATV, above) is used to collect topographic surveys of the beach. These surveys are conducted with differential GPS (DGPS- accuracy ~2 cm horizontal and vertical) for monitoring seasonal beach changes and assessing lidar accuracy. A map of the ATV survey lines is shown at right.
A Real Time Kinematic Differential Global Positioning System (RTK-DGPS) mounted on a personal watercraft (PWC, above) is used to collect bathymetric horizontal and vertical position data in the study area. A map of the PWC survey lines is shown at right.

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Spectral wave model

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Model prediction system (MOP)

Tide model

Delft3D Hydrodynamic Module Boundaries from global tide model Series of overlapping curvilinear grids Water level output at each MOP station

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Other models

• Surge Model- analytical approaches presented by Jelesnianski (1972) and Hsu (2004), that rely on estimates of the shoaling factor, sea level pressure, and a correction factor for storm approach
• Run-up Model- empirical formulations of Ruggiero et al. (2001) and Stockdon et al. (2006)
• Longshore Transport Model- CERC Formulation
• Profile Change Model- UNIBEST DE (dune erosion)
• Probabilistic Cliff Failure Model- in development by Collins and Hapke, USGS