Wenxiu Teng and Brian Yellen Develop Tool to Visualize Coastal Sediments

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Coastlines are inherently dynamic, and are constantly reshaped by the movement of inland sediment and the forces of ocean tides. A new study—authored by Wenxiu Teng, a PhD candidate in the College of Natural Science's Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences specializing in remote sensing and geomorphology, and co-authored by Brian Yellen, Massachusetts state geologist—has unveiled a fresh perspective on global coastlines, revealing a notable decline in sediment levels in coastal waters by analyzing changes in ocean color. This shift has far-reaching implications, potentially affecting habitat health, marine ecosystems, and coastal infrastructure. 

The research leverages Landsat satellites, which monitor Earth's surface, to measure sediment concentrations by interpreting the light reflected from the water column. This analysis is driven by an algorithm that was developed by Teng during his doctoral research. Through this algorithm, Teng and Yellen developed the Global Coastal Sediments Viewer, a high-resolution mapping tool "that can visualize coastal sediments anywhere on Earth." Teng shared preliminary findings on December 12 at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Eos interviewed Teng and Yellen to learn more about this new tool:

"It’s a fast, free online resource powered by Google Earth Engine that can quickly produce a 40-year timeline of coastal sediment history, organized in 5-year bins. The results show sediment trends over time. Individually, that kind of hyperlocal data 'would be the product of a year or two of effort, and you can do it instantly now,' Yellen said. 'It’s an incredibly powerful tool.'”

— Eos

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