Coastal Change Rates and Patterns: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawaii

A collaborative project between the U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine
Geology Program and the National Park Service (NPS) has been developed to
create an inventory of geologic resources for National Park Service lands on
the Big Island of Hawai?i. The NPS Geologic Resources Inventories are
recognized as essential for the effective management, interpretation, and
understanding of vital park resources. In general, there are three principal
components of the inventories: geologic bibliographies, digital geologic maps,
and geologic reports. The geologic reports are specific to each individual park
and include information on the geologic features and processes that are
important to the management of park resources, including ecological, cultural
and recreational resources. This report summarizes a component of the geologic
inventory concerned specifically with characterizing the coastal geomorphology
of the beach system within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (NHP) and
describes an analysis that utilizes georeferenced and orthorectified aerial
photography to understand the spatial and temporal trends in shoreline change
from 1950 to 2002. In addition, spatial patterns of beach change were examined
and a beach stability map was developed. Both the shoreline change rates and
the beach stability map are designed to help Park personnel effectively manage
the valuable park resources within the context of understanding natural changes
to the KAHO beach system.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]