The Southeast Coast Network is following the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Ocean Shoreline Position protocol (Psuty et al. 2010) to monitor shoreline change. The Southeast Coast Network monitoring objectives are to determine the spatial distribution of the magnitude and direction of observed shoreline change, determine cumulative and inter-annual changes in neap-tide high-tide shoreline position (average and standard deviation of change in position park-wide and within defined management units), and identify areas of highly dynamic shorelines and areas of accretion versus erosion. Some modifications have been made to the NCBN Ocean Shoreline Position protocol to accommodate park and network specific needs.
The shoreline monitoring protocol is implemented at the following parks: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral National Seashore, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, and Fort Matanzas National Monument. To collect shoreline surveys, a Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is used to document the neap-tide high-tide shoreline position. The survey
window for SECN data collection will be six to eight weeks during the spring. Fall shoreline surveys will be collected opportunistically as conditions permit. The modifications further detailed in the protocol implementation plan will allow SECN to maintain a long-term workload and meet our parks needs of documenting quantifiable shoreline change.