Mapping Coastal Erosion On Hamakua Coast, PI-CASC

The Hamakua coast is more prone to erosion than much of Hawaii Island, residences built along the retreating coast have watched over the decades and the edge of the sea cliff encroached closer and closer to their homes. To better understand the problem the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) is working with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Hilo, and the University of Guam to collect and combine data from historical aerial photos with more modern surveys and drone photos to quantify past and present rates of coastal change. The project also incorporates the County of Hawai'i Planning Department, which might use this data to refine the underdefined 40ft "setback policy" which moves back new construction from shoreline currently by an arbitrary line that doesn't accurately capture the changes on the ground. A video has been posted by the USGS overviewing the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8mmPE7UTpA