Relationships between regional coastal land cover distributions and elevation reveal data uncertainty in a sea-level rise impacts model

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2019-05-15Author
Lentz, Erika E.
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Plant, Nathaniel G.
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Thieler, E. Robert
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https://hdl.handle.net/1912/24300As published
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-429-2019DOI
10.5194/esurf-7-429-2019Abstract
Understanding land loss or resilience in response to sea-level rise (SLR) requires spatially extensive and continuous datasets to capture landscape variability. We investigate the sensitivity and skill of a model that predicts dynamic response likelihood to SLR across the northeastern US by exploring several data inputs and outcomes. Using elevation and land cover datasets, we determine where data error is likely, quantify its effect on predictions, and evaluate its influence on prediction confidence. Results show data error is concentrated in low-lying areas with little impact on prediction skill, as the inherent correlation between the datasets can be exploited to reduce data uncertainty using Bayesian inference. This suggests the approach may be extended to regions with limited data availability and/or poor quality. Furthermore, we verify that model sensitivity in these first-order landscape change assessments is well-matched to larger coastal process uncertainties, for which process-based models are important complements to further reduce uncertainty.
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© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Lentz, E. E., Plant, N. G., & Thieler, E. R. Relationships between regional coastal land cover distributions and elevation reveal data uncertainty in a sea-level rise impacts model. Earth Surface Dynamics, 7(2), (2019):429-438, doi:10.5194/esurf-7-429-2019.
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Lentz, E. E., Plant, N. G., & Thieler, E. R. (2019). Relationships between regional coastal land cover distributions and elevation reveal data uncertainty in a sea-level rise impacts model. Earth Surface Dynamics, 7(2), 429-438The following license files are associated with this item: