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Winter 2016, Part A—Coastal Oblique Aerial Photographs Collected from the South Carolina/North Carolina Border to Assateague Island, Virginia, February 18–19, 2016

By Karen L.M. Morgan

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

Publications are available from USGS Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0046 (telephone 1-888-ASK-USGS, e-mail: infoservices@usgs.gov).

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project, conducts baseline and storm-response photography missions to document and understand the changes in the vulnerability of the Nation's coasts to extreme storms. On February 18–19, 2016, the USGS conducted an oblique aerial photographic survey from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Assateague Island, Virginia, aboard a Cessna 182 (aircraft) at an altitude of 500 feet (ft) and approximately 1,200 ft offshore. This mission was flown to collect baseline data for assessing incremental changes in the beach and nearshore area and can be used to assess future coastal change.

The photographs in this report are Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) images. They document the state of the barrier islands and other coastal features at the time of the survey.

Introduction

On February 18–19, 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted an oblique aerial photographic survey from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Assateague Island, Virginia (fig. 1), aboard a Cessna 182 (aircraft) at an altitude of 500 feet (ft) and approximately 1,200 ft offshore (fig. 2). This mission was conducted to collect data following the winter of 2016 for assessing incremental changes in the beach and nearshore area since the last survey, flown in October 2015 (Morgan, 2016), and the data can be used to assess future coastal change.

The photographs in this report are Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) images. ExifTool was used to add the following data to the header of each photograph: time of collection, Global Positioning System (GPS) latitude, GPS longitude, keywords, credit, artist (photographer), caption, copyright, and contact information. The photograph locations are estimates of aircraft's positions at the time each photograph was taken and do not indicate the locations of features in the images (see the Navigation Data page). These photographs document the state of the barrier islands and other coastal features at the time of the survey. Pages containing thumbnail images of the photographs, referred to as contact sheets, were created in 5-minute segments of flight time. These segments can be found on the Photographs and Maps page. Photographs can be opened directly with any JPEG-compatible image viewer by clicking on a thumbnail on the contact sheet.

In addition to the photographs, a Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file is provided and can be used to view the images by clicking on the marker and then the thumbnail or the link above the thumbnail. The KML file was created using the photographic navigation files and can be found in the kml folder.

Getting Started

This report is divided into eight sections: Home, Abbreviations, Contents, Photographs and Maps, Navigation Data, Logs, Metadata, and Citation Page. Links at the top and bottom of each page provide access to these sections.

Links to the full-sized images can be found on the Photographs and Maps page and in table 1. A KML file, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files, images used to produce the Web pages, and a readme file are included in this report. GPS data collected during the flight are available on the Navigation Data page. The Logs page contains information on the flight and the equipment used. The Contents page contains a diagram of the location of all files and folders mentioned in the text and provides links to these files and folders.

List of Figures

Figure 1. Map showing the Winter 2016 coastal oblique survey flight path from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Assateague Island, Virginia, February 18-19, 2016

Figure 2. Acquisition Geometry

Figure 3A. Area 1—South Carolina/North Carolina Border to Beaufort, North Carolina

Figure 3B. Area 2—Beaufort, North Carolina, to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina

Figure 3C. Area 3—Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, to Virginia Beach, Virginia

Figure 3D. Area 4—Cape Charles, Virginia, to Assateague Island, Virginia

Figure 4. Cape Lookout inset map (Area 2)

Figure 5. Hatteras inset map (Area 2)

Figure 6. Rodanthe inset map (Area 2)

Figure 7. Pea Island Inset Map (Area 2)

Figure 8. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Inset Map (Area 4)

Table of Images

Table 1 provides detailed information about the image name, longitude, latitude, date, and time for each of the 5,480 photographs taken during this survey, along with links to each photograph and contact sheet.

Reference Cited

Morgan, K.L.M., 2016, Post-Hurricane Joaquin coastal oblique aerial photographs collected from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Montauk Point, New York, October 7-9, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 995, accessed June 25, 2016, at http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds995.

Suggested Citation

Morgan, K.L.M., 2017, Winter 2016, part A—Coastal oblique aerial photographs collected from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Assateague Island, Virginia, February 18–19, 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1029, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1029.

Acknowledgments

Funding and support for this study were provided by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP). The author wishes to thank Lee and Carol McManus, for their assistance in data collection. This report also benefited from the comments and reviews of Heather Henkel and Joseph Long with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Information Statement

This report was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Although these data were processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The USGS shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.

System Requirements

The minimum software requirements are a Web browser, a Portable Document Format (PDF) reader, and a text editor. Additional features can be accessed using Google Earth software (http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/). If you cannot fully access the information on this page, please contact USGS Science Information Services at infoservices@usgs.gov or 1-888-ASK-USGS.

NOTE: Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software is required to view PDF documents.

Contact

Karen L.M. Morgan
U.S. Geological Survey
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 502-8037
Fax: (727) 502-8182
kmorgan@usgs.gov