Quantifying the Rates of Historical Shoreline Change on the North Central Basin of Lake Erie

The Laurentian Great Lakes are increasingly influenced by the processes of coastal erosion. Large amounts of land have been lost to this erosional process, particularly Lake Erie, leading to the closure of roads and the destruction of property. The effects of this coastal process may increase with a changing climate as winter ice coverage is reduced, leading to increased erosion of shorelines during winter storms. This erosion is apparent on Lake Erie’s northern shore, where there have been vast amounts of coastal change throughout its history as well as large amounts of shoreline modification such as jetties, which disrupt sediment transport pathways. Monitoring and quantifying this change in shoreline position is important for predicting impacts on this northern shore and the influence that coastal infrastructure has on the erosional process. To quantify this change through time, a historic analysis was conducted, but with a lack of arial imagery for earlier periods, the use of georectified historical maps were utilized. By digitizing these historical shorelines in a geospatial software and measuring their change through time, predictions can be made based on past changes to predict future processes and could influence decisions regarding the management of this northern shoreline.