High resolution mapping of Puget Sound shorelines

In an effort to collect high-resolution baseline coastal topographic data of beaches and bluffs around the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Washington State Department of Ecology Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP) conducted a series of boat-based lidar surveys in October 2013, May through September 2015, and May 2016 at a total of 16 sites spanning 220 km of shoreline and over two dozen drift cells. The drift cells were selected based on a rigorous and systematic geospatial analysis of bluff-backed beaches for their potential for significant bluff sediment supply to intact shorelines identified as having a relative abundance of habitat for forage fish, eelgrass, herring, shellfish, and geoduck, as well as having previous investments in beach restoration projects, and potential for future shoreline armoring and habitat loss based on population growth scenarios. As such, the surveyed drift cells are top candidates for implementing drift cell-scale protection and restoration strategies. The boat-based lidar and GPS topography data were used to produce 0.5-m digital elevation models (DEMs) for the beaches and bluffs at each of the survey sites. These DEMs provide the opportunity to inventory and characterize the shoreline landscape that affects nearshore ecosystem services such as feeder bluff activity, beach slope and width, and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the backshore. Boat-based lidar provides an advantageous point of view of the bluff face, resulting in high resolution data which is needed to gain insight into bluff failure and erosion mechanisms and corresponding sediment transport processes. In addition, it successfully collects data under overhanging vegetation and overwater structures. Repeat surveys in the future would enable change analyses for quantifying bluff sediment supply, changes in marine riparian vegetation, and a better understanding of the linkages between physical and ecological processes

Puget Sound shoreline inventory and assessment using boat-based lidar

Boat-based lidar of Puget Sound shorelines collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology are developed to provide a comprehensive inventory, classification, and analyses of site conditions and variability. For example, quantitative metrics of shoreline characteristics are derived from DEMs such as bluff crest height, bluff slope, bluff toe elevation, beach slope, and shoreline armoring elevations. These metrics can then be compiled and compared within and among drift cells to determine regional variability such as differences between updrift and downdrift beaches and the effect of fetch, orientation, and other exposure variables. Certain features can also be correlated to characterize how the shoreline landscape may be affecting nearshore ecosystem services. For example, variability and gradients in beach slope and width may be correlated to proximity to feeder bluff activity and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the shoreline and backshore. Upland development and shoreline modification may be correlated to the amount of overhanging vegetation, large woody debris, or beach wrack, and these findings can be compared to conditions at undeveloped shorelines. Details in the lidar point clouds, such as intensity values, can help identify groundwater seepage and potential bluff failure and erosion mechanisms. The complementary photos to the lidar point clouds provide additional documentation of bluff geology, stratigraphy, groundwater flow, and other characteristics to help assess relative bluff stability

Evaluating methods to obtain high resolution nearshore bathymetry and coastal topography for Puget Sound

The Washington State Department of Ecology Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program performed a coastal topographic and bathymetric survey of Port Gamble Bay between March 9 and March 28, 2014. Boat-based topographic lidar was collected along the shoreline of the bay and multibeam bathymetric sonar was collected throughout the bay to obtain a seamless topographic-bathymetric surface with complete coverage of Port Gamble Bay. The survey was performed with a R2Sonic 2022 multibeam echosounder, an Optech ILRIS-HD-ER mobile laser scanner, and an Applanix POS MV 320 v5 receiving real-time kinematic positioning corrections. The Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) performed a topographic and bathymetric lidar survey of Port Gamble Bay on September 4, 2014. The Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) system was used to obtain seamless coastal topographic-bathymetric coastal intertidal and nearshore coverage of Port Gamble Bay. The bathymetric depth coverage is limited to laser extinction, which is determined by water clarity. The availability of these two datasets provides the unique opportunity to compare data between high-resolution boat-based lidar and multibeam systems and the state-of-the-art airborne topo-bathy lidar system and also assess detection and resolution of specific features throughout a range of water depths across the nearshore important to habitat and restoration efforts. This effort provides a detailed comparison of coverage and resolution of nearshore features and will help clarify differences between these capabilities to aid in planning complementary efforts in coastal zone mapping and monitoring

Behaviour and performance of a dynamic cobble berm revetment during a spring tidal cycle in North Cove, Washington State, USA

In many places, sandy coastlines and their associated assets are at high risk of erosion and flooding, with this risk increasing under climate change and sea level rise. In this context, dynamic cobble berm revetments represent a potentially sustainable protection technique to armour sandy beaches, reduce wave runup and protect the hinterland against wave attack. However, the behaviour and performance of such structures is not well understood. The dynamic cobble berm revetment located in North Cove, WA, USA, was monitored over a spring tidal cycle in January 2019. A representative 60 m alongshore section was monitored over 10 days using 2D laser scanner (lidar) measurements, GPS ground elevation surveys, Radio Frequency Identification of individual cobbles and revetment thickness measurements. These data were used together to assess the dynamic behaviour and functionality of the revetment throughout the experiment. Over the course of the experiment, the surface elevation changed by up to ±0.5 m, and the revetment volume reduced by an average 0.67 m3/m. These changes were found to be caused by relatively large significant wave height and high water levels. The revetment demonstrated a dynamic stability and the capacity to quickly reshape under changing hydrodynamic conditions. The instrumented cobbles were transported along and cross-shore and accumulated at the toe of the revetment, but were never transported seaward of the toe. The revetment also managed to recover some of the lost volume under moderate wave conditions. The revetment behaviour was found to be influenced by variation in the cobble-sand matrix. The underlying sand dynamics – i.e., accumulation or removal of sand within the cobbles – were found to govern the overall volume changes and were important to the overall stability of the revetment. Seven possible transport regimes were identified, and a model of the internal sand dynamics was developed. During the spring tidal cycle measured here, the revetment protected the sand scarp immediately landward and prevented flooding of the hinterland, while armouring the underlying sand. Over time, renourishment will likely be required due to longshore sediment transport, and preliminary guidelines for this and other aspects of design are suggested.</p

Delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) to veterans with resected colon cancer

Patients with incomplete administration of AC for colon cancer (CC) likely experience inferior survival while oxaliplatin- and capecitabine-containing AC may not improve survival for older patients. The influence on AC completion of age, other baseline patient characteristics, or regimen characteristics is unknown. We evaluated the association of baseline characteristics and planned AC regimen with AC delivery in resected CC patients

Assessing bulkhead removal and shoreline restoration using boat-based lidar

The Washington State Department of Ecology performed before and after boat-based lidar surveys of a shoreline restoration project involving the removal of ~800 feet of armoring from the base of a historic feeder bluff at Edgewater Beach, along Eld Inlet in South Puget Sound. As part of the restoration project, 700 feet of bulkheads, two rock revetments, a large wood and rock groin, and several large boulders were removed or realigned from the site in fall 2016. Removal of the armoring is expected to reconnect the historic feeder bluff at the updrift end of the project site with the adjacent beaches, restoring nearshore habitat and sediment supply to the drift cell. This poster will present an assessment of geomorphological changes to the beach and bluff associated with the bulkhead removal, and the opportunity to utilize this monitoring technology for documenting the physical processes and habitat functions restored through projects of this type

Toward criteria for pragmatic measurement in implementation research and practice: a stakeholder-driven approach using concept mapping

Background: Advancing implementation research and practice requires valid and reliable measures of implementation determinants, mechanisms, processes, strategies, and outcomes. However, researchers and implementation stakeholders are unlikely to use measures if they are not also pragmatic. The purpose of this study was to establish a stakeholder-driven conceptualization of the domains that comprise the pragmatic measure construct. It built upon a systematic review of the literature and semi-structured stakeholder interviews that generated 47 criteria for pragmatic measures, and aimed to further refine that set of criteria by identifying conceptually distinct categories of the pragmatic measure construct and providing quantitative ratings of the criteria’s clarity and importance. Methods: Twenty-four stakeholders with expertise in implementation practice completed a concept mapping activity wherein they organized the initial list of 47 criteria into conceptually distinct categories and rated their clarity and importance. Multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings: The 47 criteria were meaningfully grouped into four distinct categories: (1) acceptable, (2) compatible, (3) easy, and (4) useful. Average ratings of clarity and importance at the category and individual criteria level will be presented. Conclusions: This study advances the field of implementation science and practice by providing clear and conceptually distinct domains of the pragmatic measure construct. Next steps will include a Delphi process to develop consensus on the most important criteria and the development of quantifiable pragmatic rating criteria that can be used to assess measures

Operationalizing the ‘pragmatic’ measures construct using a stakeholder feedback and a multi-method approach

Abstract Context Implementation science measures are rarely used by stakeholders to inform and enhance clinical program change. Little is known about what makes implementation measures pragmatic (i.e., practical) for use in community settings; thus, the present study’s objective was to generate a clinical stakeholder-driven operationalization of a pragmatic measures construct. Evidence acquisition The pragmatic measures construct was defined using: 1) a systematic literature review to identify dimensions of the construct using PsycINFO and PubMed databases, and 2) interviews with an international stakeholder panel (N = 7) who were asked about their perspectives of pragmatic measures. Evidence synthesis Combined results from the systematic literature review and stakeholder interviews revealed a final list of 47 short statements (e.g., feasible, low cost, brief) describing pragmatic measures, which will allow for the development of a rigorous, stakeholder-driven conceptualization of the pragmatic measures construct. Conclusions Results revealed significant overlap between terms related to the pragmatic construct in the existing literature and stakeholder interviews. However, a number of terms were unique to each methodology. This underscores the importance of understanding stakeholder perspectives of criteria measuring the pragmatic construct. These results will be used to inform future phases of the project where stakeholders will determine the relative importance and clarity of each dimension of the pragmatic construct, as well as their priorities for the pragmatic dimensions. Taken together, these results will be incorporated into a pragmatic rating system for existing implementation science measures to support implementation science and practice