In this study, we propose a new baseline and transect method, the open-source digital shoreline analysis system (ODSAS), which is specifically designed to deal with very irregular coastlines. We have compared the ODSAS results with those obtained using the digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS). Like DSAS, our proposed method uses a single baseline parallel to the shoreline and offers the user different smoothing and spacing options to generate the transects. Our method differs from DSAS in the way that the transects’ starting points and orientation are delineated by combining raster and vector objects. ODSAS uses SAGA GIS and R, which are both free open-source software programs. In this paper, we delineate the ODSAS workflow, apply it to ten study sites along the very irregular Galician coastline (NW Iberian Peninsula), and compare it with the one obtained using DSAS. We show how ODSAS produces similar values of coastline changes in terms of the most common indicators at the aggregated level (i.e., using all transects), but the values differ when compared at the transect-by-transect level. We argue herein that explicitly requesting the user to define a minimum resolution is important to reduce the subjectivity of the transect and baseline method.

Coasts are continually changing and remote sensing from satellite has the potential to both map and monitor coastal change at multiple scales. This study aims to assess the application of shorelines extracted from Multi-Spectral Imagery (MSI) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from publicly available satellite imagery to map and capture sub-annual to inter-annual shoreline variability. This is assessed at three macro-tidal study sites along the coastline of England, United Kingdom (UK): estuarine, soft cliff environment, and gravel pocket-beach. We have assessed the accuracy of MSI-derived lines against ground truth datum tideline data and found that the satellite derived lines have the tendency to be lower (seaward) on the Digital Elevation Model than the datum-tideline. We have also compared the metric of change derived from SAR lines differentiating between ascending and descending orbits. The spatial and temporal characteristics extracted from SAR lines via Principal Component Analysis suggested that beach rotation is captured within the SAR dataset for descending orbits but not for the ascending ones in our study area. The present study contributes to our understanding of a poorly known aspect of using coastlines derived from publicly available MSI and SAR satellite missions. It outlines a quantitative approach to assess their mapping accuracy with a new non-foreshore method. This allows the assessment of variability on the metrics of change using the Open Digital Shoreline Analysis System (ODSAS) method and to extract complex spatial and temporal information using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that is transferable to coastline evolution assessments worldwide.

Sedimentary coastal areas change rapidly and are economically and environmentally important. This research focuses on determining the extent to which natural dynamics and human activity have contributed to visible changes on Rodas, Cíes Islands in southwestern Galicia (NW Spain). The number of visitors to the islands has increased in recent years, and the port infrastructure has therefore been expanded. Previously, this zone experimented with important sand extraction phases. These changes have influenced the ecosystem directly by modifying the sedimentary behavior and indirectly by promoting even greater numbers of visitors to the area. Aerial images and orthophotographs of the study zone were examined to identify changes that have taken place over the last sixty-one years (1956–2017). Changes in the position of the shoreline, defined as the boundary of the dune vegetation, were mapped at different times between 1956 and 2017. Changes in the shoreline were quantified using GIS (Geographic Information System) technology and Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software. The findings revealed that the system regressed by more than 30 m between 1956 and 1981, in part as a result of sand extraction. We also identified different erosion/accretion phases that occurred before the reformation of the Rodas dock in 2010. The system is currently undergoing important changes, especially in the northern area, with a regression of 14.14 m in the last seven years. In this context, LiDAR analysis from 2010 and 2015 using Geomorphic Change Detection (GCD) tools allowed variations in the dune system to be verified. The elevation in the study zone increased in 83% of the area, mainly in the frontal dune and close to the winter inlet (north sector). However, the variations were very small.

Rocky coasts represent three quarters of all coastlines worldwide. These areas are part of ecosystems of great ecological value, but their steep configuration and their elevation make field surveys difficult. This fact, together with their lower variation rates, explains the lower numbers of publications about cliffs and rocky coasts in general compared with those about beach-dune systems. The introduction of UAVs in research, has enormously expanded the possibilities for the study of rocky coasts. Their relative low costs allow for the generation of information with a high level of detail. This information, combined with GIS tools, enables coastal analysis based on Digital Models and high spatial resolution images. This investigation summarizes the main results obtained with the help of UAVs between 2012 and the present day in rocky coastline sections in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. These investigations have particularly focused on monitoring the dynamics of boulder beaches, cliffs, and shore platforms, as well as the structure and function of ecosystems. This work demonstrates the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for coastal studies and their usefulness for improving coastal management. The Galician case was used to explain their importance and the advances in the UAVs’ techniques.

Rocky coastal regions are often inaccessible due to steep slopes and high relief. Remotely sensed data can, therefore, be useful, but they often have low spatial and temporal resolution and, in the case of airborne LiDAR, if not publically available, are costly to obtain. This paper reports on the use of high-resolution images from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques, supplemented by a series of orthophotos and aerial LiDAR, to examine changes in rocky coastal cliffs from 2002 to 2018. The study was conducted over an 800 m-long, orthogneiss-dominated coastal section in northwestern Galicia, Spain. Cliff changes are due, primarily, to rockfalls, resulting from weathering and wave undercutting, which cause talus deposits to accumulate at the cliff foot. These deposits provide temporary protection to the cliff from wave action, until destabilized and removed by wave erosion and shallow landslides. Cliff recession rates are affected by changing conditions within a cycle and are dependent, in part, on when a survey is conducted. The data suggest that rates of cliff recession are increasing in this region and that the plan shape of the coast, which consists of headlands and bays, is continuing to evolve. Most coastal landslides in this region help to transport and dispose of talus fallen from the cliff. In contrast to landslides that remove intact materials from the cliff face, and are, therefore, primary erosional mechanisms, talus landslides are triggered by wave erosion and probably simultaneously, by storm wave spray and splash, rather than by heavy rainfall.