Shoreline Erosion of Galveston Using Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing Techniques

John David Wesch¹ and Shuhab D. Khan^2
1 University of Houston, Sugar Land, TX
² University of Houston, Houston, TX

Shoreline erosion has become a high priority problem along the Texas Coast and in Galveston Bay, it is both an issue of economic and environmental concern. Erosion, caused by both natural and human factors can result in loss of beaches, roads, residential and commercial property, and wildlife habitat. The goal of this project is to show the rate of shoreline change by comparison of historical positions. Aerial photography, LIDAR and Landsat data along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline is used to estimate the amount of erosion. The data consists of both pre and post Rita & Katrina Hurricanes, which is used to determine the amount of sediment transported and deposited in the back barrier lagoons, after the hurricanes. We also took wave erosion into consideration, waves are intense during storms, which removes sand from beaches.The data used includes LIDAR data and aerial photographs from the Texas General Land Office as well as Landsat satellite imagery obtained from the Texas Synergy project, the Landsat data has a spectral resolution ranging from visible to near infrared and the temporal resolution of 16 days. We acquired images for 1974, 1984, 1994, 2000, 2003 and 2005 to estimate the rate of erosion. Research System's Inc's . ENVI software is used for the visualization, analysis, and presentation of all the digital imagery. The results of this study can be used to help develop a coastal management policy concerning the rates of shoreline erosion and will also aid in the design of future erosion control projects.