Abstract:  Satellite remote sensing is transforming coastal science from a “data-poor” field into a “data-rich” field. Sandy beaches are dynamic landscapes that change in response to long-term pressures, short-term pulses, and anthropogenic interventions. Until recently, the rate and breadth of beach change have outpaced our ability to monitor those changes, due to the spatiotemporal limitations of our observational capacity. In the past decade, our capability to observe coastal change from space has grown substantially in tandem with computing and algorithmic power. Yet, further advances are needed in automating monitoring using machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision to fully leverage this massive treasure trove of data. In this talk, I present some applications of using satellite-derived shoreline observations to enhance assessment and prediction of coastal-change hazards in across various regions around the U.S., including California, the Pacific Northwest, and the South Atlantic Coast (Florida to Delaware).

BIO: Sean Vitousek (PhD) is a Research Oceanographer at the U.S. Geological Survey office in Santa Cruz, California.  Dr. Vitousek’s research specializes in modeling long-term evolution of sandy beaches across the U.S. with a custom-made data-assimilated shoreline model (CoSMoS-COAST).  Dr. Vitousek’s research also examines contemporary and future-climate-driven coastal hazards including coastal flooding, sea-level rise, extreme waves, dune erosion, and cliff failure.  His hazard modeling projections are used across countless state and federal agencies.  His recent research has sought to integrate satellite-derived shoreline observations with coastal models to improve predictions. His interest in coastal science largely stems from growing up in Hawaii and being an avid surfer and ocean-enthusiast.  Previously, Dr. Vitousek worked as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering.  He maintains numerous active collaborations across government, academia, and industry related to coastal-hazard assessment, prediction, and adaptation.