The Working Group proposed a pilot project on Monitoring and Predicting Coastal Shoreline Change Nilan Wikramanayake presented the report. The pilot project has the following characteristics.
Assess historical data and place project sites in their geomorphological and hydrodynamical context; establish a program for monitoring changes in coastal morphology and hydrodynamics, by in situ and remote sensing; establish a data exchange network; develop predictive capability.
Shoreline and sea-level monitoring; satellite applications; data-exchange network; monitoring of offshore hydrodynamics; forecasting of nearshore conditions; prediction of shoreline change. Community-based monitoring (community, schools, hotels, local government) will be used as far as possible, with organization, motivation and quality control through a central body, and at various levels of technical sophistication.
A phased approach, beginning with assessment and a shoreline monitoring system; incorporation of local funding; then development of analytical and modeling capability as data become available.
Shoreline definition, with quantified variation and trends; sediment budgets for coastal "cells"; GIS showing erosion-prone areas; forecasts of nearshore wave climate; predictions of coastal erosion during extreme events.
Coastal-zone managers; coastal communities; developers and owners of hotels and housing estates; port and marina authorities and users; the scientific community.