Article
Geography, Physical
Zuzanna M. Swirad, Adam P. Young
Summary: Airborne LiDAR datasets were used to measure erosion and retreat along 866 km of California coastal cliffs between 2009-2011 and 2016. The results showed that erosion exceeding the level of detection was observed at 55% of cliffs, with more erosion in northern California compared to southern and central California. Retreat rates were higher for unarmored cliffs and cliffs fronted by sandy beaches. The average cliff top retreat rates were lower than in previous studies, but the average cliff face retreat rates were similar for different time periods.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
G. Luetzenburg, D. Townsend, K. Svennevig, M. Bendixen, A. A. Bjork, E. F. Eidam, A. Kroon
Summary: Climate change will increase erosion rates along the Arctic coast by increasing the duration of sea-ice-free periods and shifting precipitation patterns. This study focuses on a 3-km sedimentary cliff section on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, and measures 2D cliff top erosion over 50 years and 3D cliff profile change over 2 years. The findings show that erosion of soft coastal cliffs in Greenland can accelerate due to increased storminess and prolonged open water periods in a continuously warming climate.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zuzanna M. Swirad, Adam P. Young
Summary: This article describes an algorithm that uses digital elevation models to identify the base and top positions of complex cliffs. Testing shows that the algorithm performs comparably to manual mapping and offers some advantages, but it may not provide accurate results for cliff sections with ambiguous top edges.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
A. P. Young, R. T. Guza, H. Matsumoto, M. A. Merri, W. C. O'Reilly, Z. M. Swirad
Summary: The erosion of a 2.5 km-long sedimentary coastal cliff by waves and rainfall was studied over three years, revealing that erosion rates, incident wave heights, wave-cliff impacts, and rainfall were elevated during winters. The high temporal resolution of the multiyear dataset allowed for the separation of erosion from waves and rainfall, showing different correlations with upper and lower cliff erosion.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diana Di Luccio, Pietro Patrizio Ciro Aucelli, Gianluigi Di Paola, Micla Pennetta, Matteo Berti, Giorgio Budillon, Aniello Florio, Guido Benassai
Summary: This study proposes a methodology for assessing coastal cliff susceptibility based on hydraulic and geomorphological characteristics, and constructs a Cliff Stability Index (CSI). The index takes into account various factors such as cliff slope, rock strength, wave energy, and defense structures, and its effectiveness is verified by comparing it with observed coastal cliff evolution.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Zuzanna M. Swirad, Adam P. Young
Summary: This study quantified coastal cliff erosion along 866 km of the California coastline using airborne LiDAR data, revealing a net volume loss of 1.24 x 10(7) m(3) and an average erosion rate of 2.47 m(3) yr(-1) per meter of coastline, with a mean cliff retreat rate of 0.06 m yr(-1). Spatial variations in cliff retreat rates were observed, with the highest rates in Humboldt County (0.18 m yr(-1)) and the lowest in Orange County (0.003 m yr(-1)).
Article
Geography, Physical
Melody Premaillon, Thomas J. B. Dewez, Vincent Regard, Nicholas J. Rosser, Sebastien Carretier, Lucie Guillen
Summary: The morphology and erosion rates of sea cliffs are influenced by factors such as rock lithology and structure, with fractures playing a key role in controlling the spatial and temporal patterns of erosion. The study found that the rate of erosion is closely related to the morphology of the cliffs and the presence of fractures in the rock mass.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicola Fullin, Enrico Duo, Stefano Fabbri, Mirko Francioni, Monica Ghirotti, Paolo Ciavola
Summary: The integration of multiple data sources is crucial for studying landslide processes, especially in inaccessible areas. This case study focused on cliff-top retreat in the Conero Regional Park, Italy, using aerial orthophotos, UAV photographs, and LiDAR data. The analysis revealed significant erosion over a 40-year period.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangxiong Kong
Summary: This study introduces a novel cliff monitoring methodology that does not rely on georeferencing efforts, producing reliable monitoring results by processing 3D point clouds and aligning them using a rigid registration protocol. Experimental findings demonstrate the efficiency of this approach in small-scale experiments and full-scale field validation, highlighting its significance for underserved coastal communities.
Article
Geography, Physical
Camila Arrospide, German Aguilar, Joseph Martinod, Maria Pia Rodriguez, Vincent Regard
Summary: The evolution of coastal cliffs is influenced by factors including uplift, marine erosion, previous topographical conditions, and changes in sea level. A numerical model based on the Great Coastal Cliff in the Atacama Desert was used to study these influences. The model showed that faster uplift rates or older uplift onset favored the formation of inactive cliffs, whereas slower uplift rates or younger uplift onset led to the formation of active cliffs. Low erosion rates supported the preservation of marine terraces, while high erosion rates inhibited their formation. The slope of the initial topography also affected cliff activity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dalibor Udovic, Branko Kordic, Zeljko Arbanas
Summary: This study successfully established the structural model of the Raspadalica Cliff and identified important discontinuity features using traditional geological and geotechnical field surveys as well as remote sensing analysis. Kinematic analyses indicated a relatively low probability of typical failures in the cliff rock mass.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zoe Bessin, Marion Jaud, Pauline Letortu, Emmanuel Vassilakis, Niki Evelpidou, Stephane Costa, Christophe Delacourt
Summary: Many issues arise from sea cliff recession, including threats to coastal communities and infrastructure. This study compares three remote sensing methods based on structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry or stereorestitution: boat-based SfM photogrammetry with smartphones, unmanned aerial system (UAS) or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry with centimetric positioning, and Pleiades tri-stereo imagery. Results show that the satellite approach is better for long-term monitoring, while the boat-based approach provides better reconstruction of cliff foot. The UAS with centimetric positioning offers a compromise between the two, although flight autonomy limits its coverage area.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lidia Loiotine, Gioacchino Francesco Andriani, Michel Jaboyedoff, Mario Parise, Marc-Henri Derron
Summary: Rock slope failures in urban areas pose serious threats to human life and property, necessitating accurate characterization and monitoring of rock masses. Remote sensing devices offer effective supplementary techniques for rock analysis and monitoring in inaccessible areas, but a comprehensive comparison of different methods is needed to determine their advantages and limitations.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Timothee Duguet, Anne Duperret, Stephane Costa, Vincent Regard, Gregoire Maillet
Summary: By using a shallow water high-resolution mapping system to survey the Normandy coastline, a new submarine platform has been identified, showing different levels of erosion from the past. The study estimated cliff retreat rates since 6.5 ky +/- 1 ky and found that long-term retreat rates are 33% to 57% lower than contemporary ones, confirming an acceleration of chalk cliff system retreat rates.
Article
Geography, Physical
Colin K. Bloom, Corinne Singeisen, Timothy Stahl, Andrew Howell, Chris Massey
Summary: Modeling suggests that coastal regions will experience rapid erosion due to climate-change-induced sea level rise. However, earthquakes can also contribute to coastal cliff retreat, and this factor is often overlooked in forecasting models. This study focuses on the contribution of earthquakes to multidecadal coastal cliff retreat and finds that large earthquake-induced landslide-triggering events significantly contribute to cliff-top retreat rates. The findings highlight the underestimation of true retreat rates in seismically active regions when relying solely on historical records to predict cliff-top retreat.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2023)