SEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: Wesley Burger, Kristine Evans, Guiming Wang – Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources; Paul Lang, U.S Fish & Wildlife Service; Adam Skarke, Mississippi State University Department of Geosciences

ABSTRACT: Beach dunes are iconic features within coastal environments, and are essential for the maintenance and resilience of the structure and health of coastal ecosystems. However, despite their significance to coastal systems, dynamics of these three-dimensional landscape features are challenging to understand, particularly across large geographic extents. Until recently, limitations in data resolution have prevented comprehensive geospatial characterization of dune geomorphology across the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) coastline, which has limited conservation planning efforts targeting dune systems. Recent coast-wide QL1 and QL2 LIDAR data and associated 1-meter resolution digital elevation models have now made development of an accurate and complete coastal geomorphon possible. Using publically accessible NOAA, USACE, and USGS-sourced high-resolution DEM and LIDAR point clouds, we developed fine-resolution (sub-meter) dune geomorphons in GRASS GIS which allow for assessment of regional variation in dune structure across the NGOM. This allowed for a NGOM-wide analysis of slope, elevation, and other elements associated with individual dune footprints (e.g. crest location, width, etc.). Dune geomorphons will be used in concert with 1-m resolution imagery-based vegetation characterization to develop models of habitat selection in endangered beach mice populations. Additionally, geospatial characterization of dune features provides opportunities for future assessment of Gulf coast dune dynamics over time to inform conservation planning efforts, including evaluation of anthropogenic influences on the coastline, documentation of the natural evolution of dune structure, and identification of sensitive areas for targeted species and ecosystem management.