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A process-geometric visualization of bluff erosion hazards on the Pennsylvania coast of Lake Erie, United States

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Abstract

The Lake Erie coast of Pennsylvania on the North American Great Lakes is dominated by unconsolidated, erosional, Quaternary-age bluffs. This paper describes generation of a non-regulatory, process-geometric Bluff Erosion Potential (BEP) visualization of physical erosion hazards. Four relative lakefront hazard zones were mapped at sub-watershed scales, landward of which the erosion hazard is insignificant over property lifetimes. The Very High Erosion Potential (VHEP) zone is the present-day active hazard zone, located between the bluff toe and crest and experiences ongoing and episodic bluff failure. The High Erosion Potential (HEP) zone extends inland from the landward edge of the VHEP zone, with its landward edge lying on average ~ 12 m from the bluff crest and locally as much as 72 m. The Moderate Erosion Potential (MEP) zone extends inland from the HEP zone, with its landward limit on average ~ 28 m from the bluff crest and locally as much as 144 m. Inland from the MEP zone, the landward limit of the Low Erosion Potential (LEP) zone is on average ~ 60 m from the bluff crest and locally as much as 272 m. Landward of the LEP zone, erosion hazards are expected to be non-existent for at least a century. The BEP hazard map builds upon recent bluff best-management practices by including geometric stable-slope criteria along with process-driven bluff retreat rates to map erosion hazard. It can help coastal stakeholders better understand hazards over century-plus building lifetimes and is an initial step toward a future comprehensive physical/socioeconomic vulnerability assessment.

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Fig. 1
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Source: PA DEP 2015 Coastal Zone Aerial Photography database, https://www.dep.pa.gov

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Data availability

Data generated and described in this study are available in this article and at https://e8arcport.ad.psu.edu/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=66f65224ed874d71b63cc0aafd5ab64f.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported with Growing Greener Grant funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Acknowledgements are due to W Cross at the US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, for sharing 1938 bluff-crest location data with this project; and to three anonymous reviewers whose recommendations strengthened this paper. Special thanks are due to MD Naber, Penn State Erie, for compiling, editing, and supplementing contractor lidar data and generating the BEP hazard map in a GIS; and to SD Rafferty, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, for data management and building the online BEP hazard web map with ArcGIS Web AppBuilder.

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  1. Department of Environmental Science, Penn State Erie - The Behrend College, 4701 College Drive, Erie, PA, 16563, USA

    Anthony M. Foyle

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AMF developed the concept, design, and data needs of the hazard visualization map, wrote the manuscript, prepared all figures and table, and completed requested revisions of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Anthony M. Foyle.

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Foyle, A.M. A process-geometric visualization of bluff erosion hazards on the Pennsylvania coast of Lake Erie, United States. Environ Earth Sci 82, 62 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10728-8

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