Coastal Services Center

The Oregon Department of Land and Conservation Development and the NOAA Coastal Services Center entered a cooperative agreement to create a special climate and coastal hazards module within the Oregon Coastal Atlas. The project assimilated historic and real-time oceanographic and climate data from a variety of sources into an interactive mapping and information module with both observational and predictive capacity to project the impact of coastal storm on the coastal environment. Data was used to develop tools within the Atlas that will enable planners, transportation system managers, resource agencies, planning and permitting agencies, emergency response agencies, researchers, and the general public to understand the impacts of both long-term climate and episodic meteorological events. The Climate and Coastal Hazards Module were presented as an on-line tool where site specific questions can be answered, with a cross-linked “learn” module that contained narratives and context to inform the decision-making process. Two distinct approaches were used including one based on real-time meteorological data and the other on compilations of long-term historic averages. A storm hazards tool uses real-time data to project the potential scope of erosion along specific segments of ocean shore. The purpose of the storm tool is to incorporate improved understanding of the conditions and trends that result in erosion events to provide an increased observational and predictive capability to assess their potential impact on the ocean shore environment. The function of the tool is to provide both real-time predictive capabilities of potential erosion, and assessments of sections of coast prone to wave attack. Project partners included the Oregon Climate Service and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. More information about the coastal atlas is on-line at http://www.lcd.state.or.us/coast/hazards.html.

NOAA Coastal Services Center's Role

The NOAA Coastal Services Center built the tool that employs the existing geometric model to function with real-time data input from buoys and other sources, in combination with beach slope profiles derived from LIDAR, and data related to bluff attributes and characteristics. The Center used its LIDAR tool to create beach profiles for specified segments of shoreline, which will be maintained on a Center server. NOAA provided guidance to help ensure that the tool fits within the Atlas’ architecture and was responsible for developing the page interfaces that guide users in the application of the tool.

Grantee Overview

The mission of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development is to enhance Oregon’s livability by creating a framework within which citizens, through their local governments will create and implement sound comprehensive land use plans. The Land Conservation and Development Commission is made up of seven citizen members who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Commission acts as the ‘board of directors’ for the state’s land use planning agency.

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