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Shoreline change data along the coast of California from 2015 to 2016

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2020-12-31T00:00:00Z
This dataset contains shoreline change measurements for sandy beaches along the coast of California over the 2015/2016 El Nino winter season. Mean high water (MHW) shorelines were extracted from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) digital elevation models from the fall of 2015 and the spring of 2016 using the ArcGIS smoothed contour method. The MHW elevation in each analysis region (Northern, Central, and Southern California) maintained consistency with that of the National Assessment of Shoreline Change. Within the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), the net shoreline movement (NSM) between the pre-El Nino (2015) and post-El Nino (2016) shorelines was calculated at a transect spacing of 50 meters as a proxy for sandy shoreline change throughout the El Nino winter season.

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