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2013 Spring | Natural Science & Restoration

Measuring Shoreline Change on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State

Student(s):

Rachel Williams

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Ian Miller

Partner(s):

  • Washington Sea Grant

Faculty advisor(s):

Timothy Nyerges, Department of Geography, University of Washington

The purpose of this Geographic Information Systems (GIS) project was to create a better understanding of how the shoreline is changing at two coastal landforms near Port Angeles, WA – Ediz Hook and Dungeness Spit. This undertaking contributes to a larger project which hypothesizes that the Elwha River was historically, and will again be, an important source of sediment for Ediz Hook once the Elwha Dam and Glines Canyon Dam are removed and the river is restored. These two spits are ideal for comparison as Ediz Hook is highly industrialized and armored, while Dungeness Spit has been altered almost exclusively by natural forces.