Beach topography and nearshore bathymetry of the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon (ver. 4.0, January 2024)

Dates

Publication Date: 2019-06-10
Start Date: 2014-07-14
End Date: 2018-08-31
Revision: 2019-11-26
Revision: 2021-12-01
Last Revision: 2024-01-26

Citation

Stevens, A.W., Weiner, H.M., Wood, J.M., Ruggiero, P., Kaminsky, G.M., and Gelfenbaum G.R., 2019, Beach topography and nearshore bathymetry of the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon (ver. 4.0, January 2024): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9W15JX8.

Summary

This data release presents beach topography and nearshore bathymetry data from repeated surveys performed by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Oregon State University in the Columbia River littoral cell (CRLC), Washington and Oregon. The CRLC extends approximately 165 kilometers between Point Grenville (PG), Washington, and Tillamook Head (TH), Oregon (Figure 1A). The CRLC consists of four wide, gently sloping, beaches, or sub-cells, separated by the entrances of Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the Columbia River. Areas were designated within a portion of each sub-cell and surveyed along a series of shore-perpendicular survey lines spaced at 100- to 1,000-m intervals. [...]

Summary

This data release presents beach topography and nearshore bathymetry data from repeated surveys performed by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Oregon State University in the Columbia River littoral cell (CRLC), Washington and Oregon. The CRLC extends approximately 165 kilometers between Point Grenville (PG), Washington, and Tillamook Head (TH), Oregon (Figure 1A). The CRLC consists of four wide, gently sloping, beaches, or sub-cells, separated by the entrances of Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the Columbia River. Areas were designated within a portion of each sub-cell and surveyed along a series of shore-perpendicular survey lines spaced at 100- to 1,000-m intervals.

Nearshore bathymetry was measured along survey lines from approximately 12 m water depth into the surf zone using personal watercraft equipped with single-beam echosounders and survey-grade global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers (Figure 1B). Beach topography data were collected by walking along survey lines with GNSS receivers mounted on backpacks (Figure 1C). Topographic profiles generally extended from landward of the primary dune crest to a wading depth. Additional topography data were collected along selected segments of the survey area using an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) equipped with a GNSS receiver to better characterize the morphology of the beach (Figure 1D). Positions of the survey platforms were referenced to a GNSS base station placed on a nearby benchmark with known horizontal and vertical coordinates (Figure 1E). Surveys were performed annually between July and September during spring tides with nearshore bathymetry data collected during high tide, and topographic measurements collected during low tide to maximize coverage of intertidal areas, often achieving overlap between topographic and bathymetric profiles (Figure 1F). More detailed information on the survey methodology is provided in the individual data releases and associated metadata.

This data release contains data from ten surveys performed between 2014 and 2023 and will be updated as data from future surveys become available. Links to nearshore bathymetry data and beach topography data from each annual survey are provided in the Child Items section below.

Figure 1. A, Map of the Columbia River littoral cell showing the locations of survey lines, sub-cells (North Beach, Grayland, Long Beach, Clatsop), and major estuary entrances of Grays Harbor (GH), Willapa Bay (WB), and the Columbia River (CR). B-E, Photographs showing instrumentation used during the bathymetric and topographic surveys. F, Example profile showing overlap between bathymetry and topography data. The gray bar indicates the intertidal portion of the profile between mean lower low water (MLLW) and mean higher high water (MHHW).

Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Washington State Department of Ecology, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, and Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems. We thank the numerous individuals who participated in the field surveys, otherwise known as the "Nearshore All-stars".

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Contacts

Point of Contact :: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
Originator :: Andrew Stevens, Heather Weiner, Jeffrey M. Wood, Peter Ruggiero, George M. Kaminsky, Guy R Gelfenbaum
Metadata Contact :: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Cooperator/Partner :: Oregon State University, Washington State Department of Ecology
SDC Data Owner :: Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
USGS Mission Area :: Natural Hazards
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase

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revision_history_v4.txt	1.58 KB	text/plain
crlc_overview_photos.png “Photographs showing instrumentation used during the bathymetric and topographic ”	3.97 MB	image/png
crlc_overview.png	2.76 MB	image/png

Related External Resources

Type: browseImage

Photographs showing equipment used during bathymetric and topographic surveys along the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon.	https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5c80624de4b0938824459d51?name=crlc_overview_photos.png&allowOpen=true

Type: Related Primary Publication

Stevens, A.W., and others, 2020, Observations of Coastal Change and Numerical Modeling of Sediment-Transport Pathways at the Mouth of the Columbia River and its Adjacent Littoral Cell: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report	https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201045

Purpose

Data were obtained to document interannual changes in shoreline position and coastal morphology. These data are intended for science researchers, students, policy makers, and the general public. These data can be used with geographic information systems or other software to identify topographic and shallow-water bathymetric features.

Beach topography and nearshore bathymetry of the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon (ver. 4.0, January 2024)

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