NH43A-1867
REMOTE SENSING ANALYSIS OF A RAPIDLY ERODING SEA CLIFF AT POINT GREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Allison M Westin1, Mirko Francioni1, Ryan Kremsater1, Douglas Stead1 and John J Clague2, (1)Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, (2)Simon Fraser University, Department of Earth Sciences, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Abstract:
A range of remote sensing tools can be used to document hazardous and sensitive environments. Presented at this time are the first results of an ongoing study of a rapidly eroding, steep sea cliff in Vancouver, British Columbia. The sea cliff is formed in a 70-m-thick sequence of outwash sands and silts (Quadra Sand) deposited during the early part of the last glaciation, known locally as the Fraser Glaciation. The sea cliff is unstable and retreating due to wave attack, groundwater seepage, and shallow-seated landslides. If no measures are taken to stem wave erosion, the sea cliff will likely retreat faster with rising seas over the remainder of this century. The beach below the cliff is a popular recreational location, thus a hard engineering solution to the erosion problem might be unacceptable to Vancouver residents. We have used conventional photogrammetry, structures from motion, thermal imaging, and terrestrial full waveform laser scanning to provide base-line spatial data for the most rapidly eroding section of the cliff. Here, we present some of our results and discuss the challenges that we faced in characterizing this large soil slope.
