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2013 Spring | Natural Science & Restoration

A Study of Relationships Between Shoreline Complexity and Adjacent Seafloor Structure in Washington’s Puget Sound

Student(s):

Lise Ferguson

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Jameal Samhouri

Partner(s):

  • NOAA

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Faculty advisor(s):

Miles Logsdon, School of Oceanography, University of Washington

During my project, I studied the relationship between seafloor roughness and the composition and complexity of the adjacent shoreline of 5 pairs of sites throughout Puget Sound. I examined how seafloor roughness differed in more urbanized areas and if there was any correlation between roughness and shoreline complexity. “Complex- ity” refers to the diversity of the shoreline’s composition, or how many different types of shoreline are in an area and in what proportions. My goal was to characterize the sites using data in order to supply my host organization with information to use in the next phases of their study. The computer science component of the project allowed me to advance my GIS skills and broaden my understanding of landscape pattern metrics as well as of basic statistics.