Soft Copy Photogrammetry to Measure Shore Platform Erosion on Decadal Time Scales

Abstract

Shore platform erosion is considered to be a driving mechanism for cliff recession on many rocky coasts and a threat to the stability of cliff defence structures, yet the spatial pattern of platform erosion, as well as the rate of lowering, is poorly documented. Measurements based on techniques such as the Micro-Erosion Meter or portable laser scanner, though highly accurate for short time scales and specific locations, are difficult to extrapolate in space and time. They also fail to measure meso-scale changes such as block removal. This chapter describes and illustrates a photogrammetric method of quantifying spatial and temporal changes on shore platforms.