Long Term Coastal Evolution and Regional Dynamics of a US Pacific Northwest Littoral Cell

摘要

A regional study of sediment dynamics, long-term coastal evolution and shoreline response has been initiated for a 150 km long littoral cell along a tectonically active margin in the Pacific Northwest, USA. The study area includes a high-energy inner shelf, dissipative nearshore, and dynamic shorelien from Tillamook Head, oregon to Point Grenville, Washington. Major goals of the study include determining and understanding the evolution of the regional sedimentary system with its natural and anthroupogenic influences, and predicting coastal behaviour on a management scale of decades and tens of kilometers. This paper presents an overview of the study and the initial results from beach morphology monitoring, shoreline change analysis, and barrier-beach development.