Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake
The natural boundary is intuitively understood to be the line dividing the bed of a water body from the adjacent land. It is used in many jurisdictions to define the boundary of ownership between a land parcel and a state-owned watercourse. It is typically defined on the ground through observations...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Water |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/17/3037 |
| _version_ | 1797581796193337344 |
|---|---|
| author | Clayton E. Hiles Eric Morris Craig Sutherland Dave Bazett Chad Davey |
| author_facet | Clayton E. Hiles Eric Morris Craig Sutherland Dave Bazett Chad Davey |
| author_sort | Clayton E. Hiles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The natural boundary is intuitively understood to be the line dividing the bed of a water body from the adjacent land. It is used in many jurisdictions to define the boundary of ownership between a land parcel and a state-owned watercourse. It is typically defined on the ground through observations by a professional surveyor. Predicting changes to the natural boundary has obvious utility (e.g., with climate change); however, its’ observational nature does not lend itself to such predictions. This paper uses a case study of a large lake to explore the relationship between shoreline morphology and hydrology, and the elevation of the natural boundary. Significant correlation was found between the natural boundary elevation and average wave power, but not with variables beach slope, sediment type, or presence of vegetation. Below 0.4 W/m of average wave power, the correlation with natural boundary elevation is very weak, suggesting a lower limit of influence. Two process-based methods for estimation of natural boundary change are proposed, one based on the observed statistical relationship between the average wave power and the natural boundary elevation, and another method based on detailed analytical modelling of bottom stress from breaking waves using the Xbeach software (v1.23). Both methods were used to estimate natural boundary change under a hypothetical change in water level regime due to proposed weir upgrades. While observational data are not available to support evaluation, both approaches predict similar changes to the natural boundary despite their significantly different basis. While the modelling approach requires significant analyst and computational effort, the parametric approach is comparatively efficient, making it practical to apply at high resolution over very large shorelines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:10:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4b13c7cf4034438ba2dc74193a9d58d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:10:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4b13c7cf4034438ba2dc74193a9d58d2023-11-19T09:01:24ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-08-011517303710.3390/w15173037Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large LakeClayton E. Hiles0Eric Morris1Craig Sutherland2Dave Bazett3Chad Davey4Kerr-Wood-Leidal Associates, 201-3045 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4N2, CanadaKerr-Wood-Leidal Associates, 201-3045 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4N2, CanadaKerr-Wood-Leidal Associates, 201-3045 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4N2, CanadaBazett Land Surveying, 2080 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, BC V9N 2L3, CanadaKerr-Wood-Leidal Associates, 201-3045 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8T 4N2, CanadaThe natural boundary is intuitively understood to be the line dividing the bed of a water body from the adjacent land. It is used in many jurisdictions to define the boundary of ownership between a land parcel and a state-owned watercourse. It is typically defined on the ground through observations by a professional surveyor. Predicting changes to the natural boundary has obvious utility (e.g., with climate change); however, its’ observational nature does not lend itself to such predictions. This paper uses a case study of a large lake to explore the relationship between shoreline morphology and hydrology, and the elevation of the natural boundary. Significant correlation was found between the natural boundary elevation and average wave power, but not with variables beach slope, sediment type, or presence of vegetation. Below 0.4 W/m of average wave power, the correlation with natural boundary elevation is very weak, suggesting a lower limit of influence. Two process-based methods for estimation of natural boundary change are proposed, one based on the observed statistical relationship between the average wave power and the natural boundary elevation, and another method based on detailed analytical modelling of bottom stress from breaking waves using the Xbeach software (v1.23). Both methods were used to estimate natural boundary change under a hypothetical change in water level regime due to proposed weir upgrades. While observational data are not available to support evaluation, both approaches predict similar changes to the natural boundary despite their significantly different basis. While the modelling approach requires significant analyst and computational effort, the parametric approach is comparatively efficient, making it practical to apply at high resolution over very large shorelines.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/17/3037natural boundaryland–water boundaryordinary high water markclimate changewave energy |
| spellingShingle | Clayton E. Hiles Eric Morris Craig Sutherland Dave Bazett Chad Davey Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake Water natural boundary land–water boundary ordinary high water mark climate change wave energy |
| title | Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake |
| title_full | Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake |
| title_fullStr | Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake |
| title_short | Estimating Natural Boundary Change on a Large Lake |
| title_sort | estimating natural boundary change on a large lake |
| topic | natural boundary land–water boundary ordinary high water mark climate change wave energy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/17/3037 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT claytonehiles estimatingnaturalboundarychangeonalargelake AT ericmorris estimatingnaturalboundarychangeonalargelake AT craigsutherland estimatingnaturalboundarychangeonalargelake AT davebazett estimatingnaturalboundarychangeonalargelake AT chaddavey estimatingnaturalboundarychangeonalargelake |