2024 Airborne Lidar Survey and Change Update, Texas Gulf Shoreline

Summary

Researchers at the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin (Bureau), will update shoreline change rates and determine beach and dune volume and elevation relationships along the Texas Gulf of Mexico shoreline between the mouth of the Rio Grande and Sabine Pass. This update will be based on data acquired during an airborne lidar survey conducted as part of this project.  The principal purposes of the survey will be to (a) update long- and short-term shoreline change rates for the Texas Gulf shoreline that were most recently updated in 2019; (b) compare current beach and dune volumes with those calculated for past Texas Gulf beach and dune lidar surveys in 2000, 2012, and 2019, and (c) quantify beach and dune volume and elevation relationships. The survey is to be conducted between January and April 2024 to ensure consistency with previous Gulf beach and dune lidar surveys acquired by the Bureau in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2019.