Assessing the Vulnerability of the Perth Coastal System to Coastal Erosion through GIS  

Authors / CoAuthors

Jones, A.T. | Hayne, M.

Abstract

Geoscience Australia's Risk Research Group is using a variety of GIS coverages that span the Fremantle to Hillarys region of the Perth coastal system to assess the vulnerability of the Perth built environment to the potential impact of coastal erosion. Two fundamental questions are asked: whether there is accommodation space in the system that has the potential to act as a sink for eroded sediment, with or without a future sea level rise, and; whether the three-dimensional architecture of the shoreline facies precludes erosion given the current wave and storm climate. Morphological evidence suggest the Garden Island Ridge, up to and including Rottnest Island, has sheltered the coast from prevailing longshore currents. Little sedimentation has occurred in this sector, and consequently there is accommodation space for eroded sediment to be deposited below a level at which it has the capacity to be reworked onto the beach by fair-weather beach building processes. The shoreline geology of the Perth region is dominated by sand and limestone. Shear wave velocities measured through seismic cone penetrometer testing are used in conjunction with natural periods of vibration for the coastal sands to reconstruct the three-dimensional distribution of the erosion-resistant limestone. This reconstruction shows that the upper surface of the limestone is generally above sea level, suggesting the majority of the Perth coastal region is not at risk of significant erosion. At a number of localities, however, the contact between the limestone and the overlying sand is below sea level. These areas are prone to erosion resulting in significant risk to urban development.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

49006

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Keywords

• External PublicationConference Paper

( Theme )

• GIS

( Theme )

• coasts

( Theme )

• erosion

( Theme )

• marine

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Earth Sciences

• Published_Internal

Publication Date

2003-01-01T00:00:00

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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

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geoscientificInformation

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