Geospatial Sciences
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/1969.6/31369
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Browsing Geospatial Sciences by Subject "Coastal"
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Item Meeting Regional, Coastal and Ocean User Needs With Tailored Data Products: A Stakeholder-Driven Process(Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019-06-07) Iwamoto, Melissa M.; Dorton, Jennifer; Newton, Jan; Yerta, Moirah; Gibeaut, James C.; Shyka, Tom; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Currier, RobertNew coastal and ocean observing stations and instruments deployed across the globe are providing increasing amounts of meteorological, biological, and oceanographic data. While these developments are essential for the development of various data products to inform decision-making among coastal communities, more data does not automatically translate into more benefits to society. Rather, decision-makers and other potential end-users must be included in an ongoing stakeholder-driven process to determine what information to collect and how to best streamline access to information. We present a three-step approach to develop effective tailored data products: (1) tailor stakeholder engagement to identify specific user needs; (2) design and refine data products to meet specific requirements and styles of interaction; and (3) iterate engagement with users to ensure data products remain relevant. Any of the three steps could be implemented alone or with more emphasis than others, but in order to successfully address stakeholders’ needs, they should be viewed as a continuum—as steps in a process to arrive at effective translation of coastal and ocean data to those who need it. Examples from the Regional Associations of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®), the Texas General Land Office, and the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department (VMGD) are woven throughout the discussion. These vignettes illustrate the value of this stakeholder-driven approach and provide a sample of the breadth of flexibility and customizability it affords. We hope this community white paper inspires others to evaluate how they connect their stakeholders to coastal and ocean observing data and provides managers of observing systems with a guide on how to evolve in a manner that addresses societal needs.Item Using Lidar Data to Assess the Relationship Between Beach Geomorphology and Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) Nest Site Selection Along Padre Island, TX, United States(Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020-04-08) Culver, Michelle; Gibeaut, James C.; Shaver, Donna J.; Tissot, Philippe E.; Starek, Michael J.The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is the most endangered sea turtle species in the world, largely due to the limited geographic range of its nesting habitat. There has been limited research regarding the connection between beach geomorphology and Kemp’s ridley nesting patterns, but studies concerning other sea turtle species suggest that certain beach geomorphology variables, such as beach slope and width, influence nest site selection. This research attempts to address the literature gap by quantifying the terrestrial habitat variability of the Kemp’s ridley and investigating the connection between beach geomorphology characteristics and Kemp’s ridley nesting preferences on Padre Island, TX, United States. Geomorphology characteristics, such as beach width and slope, were extracted from lidar-derived digital elevation models and associated with Kemp’s nest coordinates and pseudo-absence points randomly created within the study area. Generalized linear models and random forest models were used to assess the significance of variables for nesting preferences. Kemp’s ridley nest presence was successfully modeled using beach geomorphology characteristics, and elevation, distance from shoreline, maximum dune slope, and average beach slope were the most important variables in the models. Kemp’s ridleys exhibit a preference for a limited range of the study area and avoid nesting on beaches with beach characteristics of extreme values. The results of this study include new information regarding Kemp’s ridley terrestrial habitat and nesting preferences that have many applications for species conservation and management.