To test their system, Lippmann and Ohio State research associate Jennifer Shore set up a video camera on a 130 foot tower on the beach in Duck, North Carolina, a popular tourist destination in the Outer Banks region. Duck is a popular spot for researchers investigating ocean waves, so Lippmann and Shore were able to take advantage of the fact that researchers from several other institutions including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography had previously installed an array of sensors called current meters under the water along the beach. The new software analyzed the image of the water, focusing on the white, foamy patches of bubbles left after breaking waves passed. Based on where the foam moved, the software calculated the speed and direction of the currents. Lippmann said that data from the video based measurements matched data taken by the current meters to within 10 percent.
Erosion is a process that is more complex than it seems.
With the Ohio State camera system, scientists may soon have a tool to help them better understand erosion and how to manage it, Lippmann said. Residents along the coastal U.S. have tried to counter erosion by adding sand to beaches or building artificial seawalls out of wood or rocks, but some recent studies have shown that these efforts may increase erosion in certain situations. Storms, rising ocean levels, and beachfront development all contribute to the problem, according to a recent report by the Federal Emergency management Agency. As erosion eats away at a shoreline, it brings homes and businesses closer to the water, making buildings more vulnerable to flooding and storm damage. Over the next 60 years, erosion may claim one out of every four houses within 500 feet of the Atlantic, Gulf Coast, Pacific and Great Lakes shorelines, the report stated.