Emily A Himmelstoss
My work has focused on historical shoreline change analysis and the impact of geologic processes and human activities on the form and history of coastal beaches. I have over fifteen years of experience guiding the development and testing of the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software, which is used globally in support of critical coastal decision-making.
Biography
I have participated in a national-scale project assessing Coastal Change Hazards, specifically working to compile a consistent database of historical shoreline positions that were used along with the DSAS software to compute shoreline change rates at 50-meter intervals for the open coastal waters of the United States. These data and the new understanding of coastal change patterns it described have been widely used to further scientific research and coastal management objectives.
Since 2012 I have been part of a team developing the USGS Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) portal. This website provides an accessible mapping interface for federal and state agencies, NGOs, municipalities, and private citizens to visualize and access the portfolio of CCH assessments of extreme storm, coastal erosion and sea-level change impact data.
I am currently working with a team of research scientists, data experts, and science communicators to develop an iterative user engagement strategy designed to inform how we communicate our science products through a co-design process with stakeholders during development. The intent of this effort is to make discovery and communication of our scientific data more effective, efficient, and meaningful for coastal hazards planning and preparedness.
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)
Assessment of Coastal Impacts in Florida and Puerto Rico
Science and Products
Massachusetts Integrated Coastal Studies (MICS)
Coastal erosion, intense storm events and sea-level rise pose threats to coastal communities and infrastructure. Managers and scientists often lack the high-resolution data needed to improve estimates of sediment abundance and movement, shoreline change, and seabed characteristics that influence coastal vulnerability. To address these and other needs the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership...
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)
Computer Software for Calculating Shoreline Change (or positional change of a boundary over time)
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) v5.0 software is an add-in to Esri ArcGIS desktop 10.4-10.6 that enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical shoreline positions. It provides an automated method for establishing...
Long-Term Coastal Change
Goals of this task include developing and improving coastal-change assessments and supporting long-term planning and decision making to ensure sustainable coastal economies, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
Empowering decision-makers: A dynamic web interface for running Bayesian networks
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are at the forefront of research that is critical for decision-making, particularly through the development of models (Bayesian networks, or BNs) that forecast coastal change. The utility of these tools outside the scientific community has been limited because they rely on expensive, technical software and a moderate understanding of statistical...
USGS National Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines (1800s - 2010s) and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Georgia and Florida Coasts
Shoreline positions were compiled prior to and following Hurricane Irma along the sandy shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of Florida and the coast of Georgia. Shoreline positions from the mid-1800s through 2018 were used to update the shoreline change rates for Florida and Georgia using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) software.
Preliminary estimates of forecasted shoreline positions and associated uncertainties for Florida and Georgia
During Hurricane Irma, Florida and Georgia experienced substantial impacts to beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and coral reefs. Extensive erosion and coral losses from hurricanes result in increased vulnerability of coastal regions, including densely populated areas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Hazards Resources Program is working to assess shoreline erosion.
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines (1844-2018)
This updated dataset strengthens the understanding of shoreline position change in Massachusetts. It includes U.S. Geological Survey vector shorelines edited for quality control from the mid-1800s to 1989, 1994, 2001, 2007–9, and 2010–14; and one new shoreline from 2018.
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project, 2021 Update: A GIS Compilation of Shoreline Change Rates Calculated Using Digital Shoreline Analysis System Version 5.1, With Supplementary Intersects and Baselines for Massachusetts
This 2021 data release includes rates that incorporate one new shoreline extracted from 2018 lidar data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise , added to the existing database of all historical shorelines (1844-2014), for the North Shore, South Shore, Cape Cod Bay, Outer Cape, Buzzard’s Bay, South Cape, and the islands.
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project, 2018 Update: A GIS Compilation of Shoreline Change Rates Calculated Using Digital Shoreline Analysis System Version 5.0, With Supplementary Intersects and Baselines for Massachusetts
rThis 2018 data release includes rates that incorporate two new mean high water (MHW) shorelines for the Massachusetts coast extracted from lidar data collected between 2010 and 2014. The first new shoreline for the State includes data from 2010 along the North Shore and South Coast from lidar data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center...
Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines for the 2018 update
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management launched the Shoreline Change Project in 1989 to identify erosion-prone areas of the coast. The shoreline position and change rate are used to inform management decisions regarding the erosion of coastal resources.
National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Gulf of Mexico Coast
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a national assessment of coastal change hazards. One component of this research effort, the National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project, documents changes in shoreline position as a proxy for coastal change. Shoreline position is an easily understood feature representing the historical location of a beach position through time.
National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of Updated Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Gulf of Mexico Coast
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a national assessment of coastal change hazards. One component of this research effort, the National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project, documents changes in shoreline position as a proxy for coastal change. Shoreline position is an easily understood feature representing the historical location of a beach position through time.
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 5.1 user guide
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5 software is an add-in to Esri ArcGIS Desktop version 10.4–10.7 that enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from a time series of vector shoreline positions. The Digital Shoreline Analysis System provides an automated method for establishing measurement locations, performs rate...
Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Henderson, Rachel E.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Farris, Amy S.
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 5.0 user guide
OverviewThe Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) is a freely available software application that works within the Esri Geographic Information System (ArcGIS) software. DSAS computes rate-of-change statistics for a time series of shoreline vector data. DSAS version 5.0 (v5.0) was released in December 2018 and has been tested for compatibility...
Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Henderson, Rachel E.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Farris, Amy S.
National assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Southeast Atlantic coast
Sandy ocean beaches in the United States are popular tourist and recreational destinations and constitute some of the most valuable real estate in the country.The boundary between land and water along the coastline is often the location of concentrated residential and commercial development and is frequently exposed to a range of natural hazards,...
Kratzmann, Meredith; Himmelstoss, Emily; Thieler, E. Robert
National assessment of shoreline change—Summary statistics for updated vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic coasts
Long-term rates of shoreline change for the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic regions of the United States have been updated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change project. Additional shoreline position data were used to compute rates where the previous rate-of-change assessment only included four...
Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Thieler, E. Robert
The National assessment of shoreline shange—A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the Pacific Northwest coast
Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination and are often surrounded by communities that consist of valuable real estate. Development along sandy coastal areas is increasing despite the fact that coastal infrastructure may be repeatedly subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, the demand for accurate information regarding...
Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Ruggiero, Peter; Thieler, E. Robert; Reid, David Geomorphic and human influence on large-scale coastal change
An increasing need exists for regional-scale measurements of shoreline change to aid in management and planning decisions over a broad portion of the coast and to inform assessments of coastal vulnerabilities and hazards. A recent dataset of regional shoreline change, covering a large portion of the U.S. East coast (New England and Mid-Atlantic),...
Hapke, Cheryl J.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Himmelstoss, Emily A.
Massachusetts shoreline change project: a GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the 2013 update
Identifying the rates and trends associated with the position of the shoreline through time presents vital information on potential impacts these changes may have on coastal populations and infrastructure, and supports informed coastal management decisions. This report publishes the historical shoreline data used to assess the scale and timing of...
Smith, Theresa L.; Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Thieler, E. Robert
Quaternary geophysical framework of the northeastern North Carolina coastal system
The northeastern North Carolina coastal system, from False Cape, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, has been studied by a cooperative research program that mapped the Quaternary geologic framework of the estuaries, barrier islands, and inner continental shelf. This information provides a basis to understand the linkage between geologic...
Thieler, E. R.; Foster, D. S.; Mallinson, D.M.; Himmelstoss, E.A.; McNinch, J.E.; List, J. H.; Hammar-Klose, E.S.
The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts
Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination, often surrounded by communities containing valuable real estate. Development is on the rise despite the fact that coastal infrastructure is subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, there is an increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes....
Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Kratzmann, Meredith G.; Hapke, Cheryl; Thieler, E. Robert; List, Jeffrey
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) Version 4.0 - An ArcGIS extension for calculating shoreline change
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 4.0 is a software extension to ESRI ArcGIS v.9.2 and above that enables a user to calculate shoreline rate-of-change statistics from multiple historic shoreline positions. A user-friendly interface of simple buttons and menus guides the user through the major steps of shoreline change analysis....
Thieler, E. Robert; Himmelstoss, Emily A.; Zichichi, Jessica L.; Ergul, Ayhan Historical Shoreline Changes at Rincon, Puerto Rico, 1936-2006
The coast from Punta Higuero to Punta Cadena in Rincon, Puerto Rico is experiencing long-term erosion. This study documents historical shoreline changes at Rincon for the period 1936-2006 and constitutes a significant expansion and revision of previous work. The study area extends approximately 8 km from Punta Higuero to Punta Cadena. Fourteen...
Thieler, E. Robert; Rodriguez, Rafael W.; Himmelstoss, Emily A. Bluff evolution along coastal drumlins: Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts
A series of partially drowned drumlins forms the backbone of the inner islands within Boston Harbor. The shoreline of these rounded glacial deposits is composed of actively retreating bluffs formed by continual wave attack. Comparisons of bluffs reveal variability in their height and lateral extent, as well as in the dominant mechanism causing...
Himmelstoss, E.A.; FitzGerald, D. M.; Rosen, P.S.; Allen, J.R.
Digital Shoreline Analysis System
Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.0