The United States has an average elevation of roughly 2,500 feet (763m) above sea level, however there is a stark contrast in elevations across the country. Highest states Colorado is the highest state in the United States, with an average elevation of 6,800 feet (2,074m) above sea level. The 10 states with the highest average elevation are all in the western region of the country, as this is, by far, the most mountainous region in the country. The largest mountain ranges in the contiguous western states are the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range, while the Appalachian Mountains is the longest range in the east - however, the highest point in the U.S. is Denali (Mount McKinley), found in Alaska. Lowest states At just 60 feet above sea level, Delaware is the state with the lowest elevation. Delaware is the second smallest state, behind Rhode Island, and is located on the east coast. Larger states with relatively low elevations are found in the southern region of the country - both Florida and Louisiana have an average elevation of just 100 feet (31m) above sea level, and large sections of these states are extremely vulnerable to flooding and rising sea levels, as well as intermittent tropical storms.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted research to quantify the combined effect of all constructive and destructive processes on modern coral reef ecosystems by projecting future regional-scale changes in seafloor elevation for several sites along the Florida Reef Tract, Florida (FL) including the shallow seafloor along the coast of Miami, FL. USGS staff used historical bathymetric point data from the 1930's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, see Yates and others, 2017) and light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived data acquired in 2002 (Brock and others, 2006, 2007) to calculate historical seafloor elevation changes in the Upper Florida Keys (UFK) (Yates and others, 2017). Using those changes in seafloor elevation, annual rates of elevation change were calculated for 13 habitat types found in the UFK reef tract. The annual rate of mean elevation change for each habitat type was ap ...

The flooding extent polygons are based on wave-driven total water levels for the coral reef-lined coast of Florida. The wave and sea level conditions were propagated using the XBeach open-source model (available at https://oss.deltares.nl/web/xbeach) over 100-m spaced shore-normal transects modified to account for base, mean elevation, and mean erosion scenarios. The impact of future coral reef degradation on coastal protection was examined for two different seafloor elevation-change scenarios based on DEM projections of the study area out 100 years from 2001 using either 1) historical rates of mean elevation-change as a conservative change model, or 2) historical rates of mean erosion. Methods describing the generation of the 'mean elevation' and 'mean erosion' scenarios are described in detail in Yates and others (2018, 2019a, and 2019b). The greater colonization results in higher rugosity and thus hydrodynamic roughness via friction and was parameterized per van Dongeren and others (2013) and Quataert and others (2015). Where the locations along each transect were coincident with one of the damage-assessment locations, a reduction in roughness, and/or an increase in profile depth were applied. The changes to bathymetry and roughness were then carried on to each XBeach model run to ascertain the change in flooding during large storm events due to the projected reef degradation. These flood extents can be combined with economic, ecological, and engineering tools to provide a rigorous financial valuation of the projected future coastal protection benefits of Florida’s coral reefs.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted research to quantify the combined effect of all constructive and destructive processes on modern coral reef ecosystems by projecting future regional-scale changes in seafloor elevation for several sites along the Florida Reef Tract, Florida (FL) including the shallow seafloor along Key West, FL. USGS staff used historical bathymetric point data from the 1930's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, see Yates and others, 2017) and light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived data acquired in 2002 (Brock and others, 2006, 2007) to calculate historical seafloor elevation changes in the Upper Florida Keys (UFK) (Yates and others, 2017). Using those changes in seafloor elevation, annual rates of elevation change were calculated for 13 habitat types found in the UFK reef tract. The annual rate of mean elevation change for each habitat type was applied to a digital elevation model (DEM) extending from Big Pine Key to Marquesas Key, FL that was modified from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Key West coastal DEM (NOAA, 2011) to project future seafloor elevation (from 2011) along the Key West section of the Florida Reef Tract. Grid resolution for the DEM is 1/3 arc second (approximately 10 meters).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted research to quantify the combined effect of all constructive and destructive processes on modern coral reef ecosystems by projecting future regional-scale changes in seafloor elevation along the Florida Reef Tract, Florida (FL). USGS staff used historical bathymetric point data from the 1930's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, see Yates and others, 2017) and light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived data acquired in 2002 (Brock and others, 2006, 2007) to calculate historical seafloor elevation changes in the Upper Florida Keys (UFK) (Yates and others, 2017). Using those changes in seafloor elevation, annual rates of elevation change were calculated for 13 habitat types found in the UFK reef tract. The annual rate of mean elevation change for each habitat type was applied to a digital elevation model (DEM) extending from Port St. Lucie to Marquesas Key, FL that was modified from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Coastal Relief Model coastal DEM (NOAA, 2001) to project future seafloor elevation (from 2001) along the Florida Reef Tract. Grid resolution for the DEM is 3-arc seconds (approximately 90 meters).

Bathymetry for Apalachicola Bay was derived from eleven surveys containing 92,624 soundings. No surveys were omitted. The average separation between soundings was 80 meters. One survey dated from 1934; the rest dated from 1935. The total range of sounding data was 0.3 to -15.5 meters at mean low water. Mean high water values between 0.4 and 0.8 meters were assigned to the shoreline. Four points were found that were not consistent with the surrounding points. These were removed prior to tinning. DEM grid values outside the shoreline (on land) were assigned null values (-32676). Apalachicola Bay has sixteen 7.5 minute DEMs and two one degree DEMs. The 1 degree DEMs were generated from the higher resolution 7.5 minute DEMs which covered the estuary. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) contains a series of elevations ordered from south to north with the order of the columns from west to east. The DEM is formatted as one ASCII header record (A- record), followed by a series of profile records (B- records) each of which include a short B-record header followed by a series of ASCII integer elevations (typically in units of 1 centimeter) per each profile. The last physical record of the DEM is an accuracy record (C-record). The 7.5-minute DEM (30- by 30-m data spacing) is cast on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. It provides coverage in 7.5- by 7.5-minute blocks. Each product provides the same coverage as a standard USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle but the DEM contains over edge data. Coverage is available for many estuaries of the contiguous United States but is not complete.

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is building high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions in the Gulf of Mexico. These integrated bathymetric-topographic DEMs were developed for NOAA Coast Survey Development Laboratory (CSDL) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to evaluate the utility of the Vertical Datum Transformation tool (VDatum), developed jointly by NOAA's Office of Coast Survey (OCS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). Bathymetric, topographic, and shoreline data used in DEM compilation are obtained from various sources, including NGDC, the U.S. Coastal Services Center (CSC), the U.S. Office of Coast Survey (OCS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and other federal, state, and local government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies. DEMs are referenced to the vertical tidal datum of North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) or Mean High Water (MHW) and horizontal datum of North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Grid spacings for both DEMs are 1/3 arc-second (~10 meters).The DEM Global Mosaic is an image service providing access to bathymetric/topographic digital elevation models stewarded at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), along with the global GEBCO_2014 grid: http://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gridded_bathymetry_data. NCEI builds and distributes high-resolution, coastal digital elevation models (DEMs) that integrate ocean bathymetry and land topography to support NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment, and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. They can be used for modeling of coastal processes (tsunami inundation, storm surge, sea-level rise, contaminant dispersal, etc.), ecosystems management and habitat research, coastal and marine spatial planning, and hazard mitigation and community preparedness. This service is a general-purpose global, seamless bathymetry/topography mosaic. It combines DEMs from a variety of near sea-level vertical datums, such as mean high water (MHW), mean sea level (MSL), and North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). Elevation values have been rounded to the nearest meter, with DEM cell sizes going down to 1 arc-second. Higher-resolution DEMs, with greater elevation precision, are available in the companion NAVD88: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=e9ba2e7afb7d46cd878b34aa3bfce042 and MHW: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=3bc7611c1d904a5eaf90ecbec88fa799 mosaics. By default, the DEMs are drawn in order of cell size, with higher-resolution grids displayed on top of lower-resolution grids. If overlapping DEMs have the same resolution, the newer one is shown. Please see NCEI's corresponding DEM Footprints map service: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d41f39c8a6684c54b62c8f1ab731d5ad for polygon footprints and more information about the individual DEMs used to create this composite view. In this visualization, the elevations/depths are displayed using this color ramp: http://gis.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/images/dem_color_scale.png.A map service showing the location and coverage of land and seafloor digital elevation models (DEMs) available from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). NCEI builds and distributes high-resolution, coastal digital elevation models (DEMs) that integrate ocean bathymetry and land topography to support NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment, and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. They can be used for modeling of coastal processes (tsunami inundation, storm surge, sea-level rise, contaminant dispersal, etc.), ecosystems management and habitat research, coastal and marine spatial planning, and hazard mitigation and community preparedness. Layers available in the map service: Layers 1-4: DEMs by Category (includes various DEMs, both hosted at NCEI, and elsewhere on the web); Layers 6-11: NCEI DEM Projects (DEMs hosted at NCEI, color-coded by project); Layer 12: All NCEI Bathymetry DEMs (All bathymetry or bathy-topo DEMs hosted at NCEI).This is an image service providing access to bathymetric/topographic digital elevation models stewarded at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), with vertical units referenced to mean high water (NAVD88). NCEI builds and distributes high-resolution, coastal digital elevation models (DEMs) that integrate ocean bathymetry and land topography to support NOAA's mission to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment, and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs. They can be used for modeling of coastal processes (tsunami inundation, storm surge, sea-level rise, contaminant dispersal, etc.), ecosystems management and habitat research, coastal and marine spatial planning, and hazard mitigation and community preparedness. This service provides data from many individual DEMs combined together as a mosaic. By default, the rasters are drawn in order of cell size, with higher-resolution grids displayed on top of lower-resolution grids. If overlapping DEMs have the same resolution, the newer one is shown. Alternatively, a single DEM or group of DEMs can be isolated using a filter/definition query or using the 'Lock Raster 'mosaic method in ArcMap. This is one of three services displaying collections of DEMs that are referenced to common vertical datums: North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88): http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=e9ba2e7afb7d46cd878b34aa3bfce042, Mean High Water (MHW): http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=3bc7611c1d904a5eaf90ecbec88fa799, and Mean Higher High Water: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9471f8d4f43e48109de6275522856696. In addition, the DEM Global Mosaic is a general-purpose global, seamless bathymetry/topography mosaic containing all the DEMs together. Two services are available: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c876e3c96a8642ab8557646a3b4fa0ff Elevation Values: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c876e3c96a8642ab8557646a3b4fa0ff and Color Shaded Relief: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=feb3c625dc094112bb5281c17679c769. Please see the corresponding DEM Footprints map service: http://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d41f39c8a6684c54b62c8f1ab731d5ad for polygon footprints and more information about the individual DEMs used to create this composite view. This service has several server-side functions available. These can be selected in the ArcGIS Online layer using 'Image Display ', or in ArcMap under 'Processing Templates '. None: The default. Provides elevation/depth values in meters relative to the NAVD88 vertical datum. ColorHillshade: An elevation-tinted hillshade visualization. The depths are displayed using this color ramp: http://gis.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/images/dem_color_scale.png. GrayscaleHillshade: A simple grayscale hillshade visualization. SlopeMapRGB: Slope in degrees, visualized using these colors: http://downloads.esri.com/esri_content_doc/landscape/SlopeMapLegend_V7b.png. SlopeNumericValues: Slope in degrees, returning the actual numeric values. AspectMapRGB: Orientation of the terrain (0-360 degrees), visualized using these colors: http://downloads.esri.com/esri_content_doc/landscape/AspectMapLegendPie_V7b.png. AspectNumericValues: Aspect in degrees, returning the actual numeric values.

description: A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center, FL. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .; abstract: A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center, FL. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .

description: ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.; abstract: ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

description: ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over northwest Florida, post-Hurricane Katrina (August 2005 hurricane), using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.; abstract: ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over northwest Florida, post-Hurricane Katrina (August 2005 hurricane), using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

Bathymetry for St. Andrew Bay was derived from eleven surveys containing 93,025 soundings. Seven overlapping, older, less accurate surveys were omitted entirely. Two older surveys had overlapping portions deleted for the same reasons. The average separation between soundings was 52 meters. One survey in the north dated from 1935; the rest dated from 1983 to 1988. The range of soundings for the eleven surveys was 2.9 meters to -19.0 meters at mean low water. Mean high water values of 0.4 or 0.5 meters were assigned to the shoreline. Twenty-one points were found that were not consistent with the surrounding points. These were removed prior to tinning. DEM grid values outside the shoreline (on land) were assigned null values (-32676). St. Andrew Bay has nine 7.5 minute DEMs and a single one degree DEM. The 1 degree DEMs were generated from the higher resolution 7.5 minute DEMs which covered the estuary. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) contains a series of elevations ordered from south to north with the order of the columns from west to east. The DEM is formatted as one ASCII header record (A- record), followed by a series of profile records (B- records) each of which include a short B-record header followed by a series of ASCII integer elevations (typically in units of 1 centimeter) per each profile. The last physical record of the DEM is an accuracy record (C-record). The 7.5-minute DEM (30- by 30-m data spacing) is cast on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. It provides coverage in 7.5- by 7.5-minute blocks. Each product provides the same coverage as a standard USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle but the DEM contains over edge data. Coverage is available for many estuaries of the contiguous United States but is not complete.

description: A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline, post-Hurricane Jeanne (September 2004 hurricane), was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When subsequent elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .; abstract: A digital elevation model (DEM) of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline, post-Hurricane Jeanne (September 2004 hurricane), was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of +/-15 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When subsequent elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development. For more information on Lidar science and the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system and surveys, see http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/overview/index.php and http://ngom.usgs.gov/dsp/tech/eaarl/index.php .

description: Binary point-cloud data of a portion of the submerged environs of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser pulse and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5-1.6 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.; abstract: Binary point-cloud data of a portion of the submerged environs of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser pulse and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 60 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5-1.6 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

This raster provides the average groundwater elevations in NAVD88 for the month of October, based on the results of the U.S. Geological Survey groundwater model for Miami-Dade – Urban Miami-Dade (UMD), used to predict groundwater levels for year 2040, considering sea level rise above the baseline conditions, using NRCIII forecast, which assumes a 1.0 ft sea-level rise increase, from a year 2009 -0.9 ft mean sea-level NAVD88 to a 2040 0.1 ft.

description: ASCII XYZ point cloud data for a portion of the submerged environs of Crocker Reef, Florida, were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected on April 13 and 22, 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point density of 0.9 points per square meter. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.; abstract: ASCII XYZ point cloud data for a portion of the submerged environs of Crocker Reef, Florida, were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected on April 13 and 22, 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point density of 0.9 points per square meter. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

One of the most apparent effects of climate-change is sea-level rise. Analyses of mean sea elevation and topography can produce maps of shoreline changes, but the climatic fluctuations and structural operations superimposed on the sea-level rise create dynamic and temporal effects. In order to study scenarios related to sea-level rise in south Florida, we propose the use of currently developed dynamic models of surface-water/ground-water flow to simulate varying levels of mean tidal-level increase with tidal and atmospheric fluctuations. The changes in inundation hydroperiod, salinity in urban and natural areas, and aquifer salinity intrusion can all be simulated in the Flow and Transport in a Linked Overland/Aquifer Density-Dependent System (FTLOADDS) model. Due to the model capability for simulating dynamic events for a multi-year timescale, the simulations will provide more information than map-based approaches. FTLOADDS is a combination of two pre-existing codes, namely, the SWIFT2D two-dimensional hydrodynamic surface-water model code and the SEAWAT three-dimensional ground-water model code (Langevin and others, 2005). SWIFT2D computes vertically-integrated flow by solving the St. Venant equations in two dimensions. Additionally, SWIFT2D computes reactive constituent transport, density variations effects, drying and rewetting of periodically inundated areas, and hydraulic structures (Schaffranek 2004). SEAWAT is a combination of the commonly used ground-water model code MODFLOW and the solute-transport code MT3DMS (Guo and Langevin 2002). FTLOADDS therefore has the ability to simulate salinity transport in two dimensions for surface water and three dimensions for ground water. SWIFT2D and SEAWAT operate independently within FTLOADDS, with the exception of the leakage and salinity fluxes passed between the surface water and ground water. FTLOADDS has been enhanced to represent heat-transport in the surface water linked to evapotranspiration effects (Swain and Decker, 2008). Applications of FTLOADDS to southern Florida coastal areas provide a comprehensive framework for predicting hydrologic changes (Swain and others, 2003). Applications in the area include: 1) The Tides and Inflows in the Mangrove Everglades (TIME) application in the Everglades National Park area (Wang and others, 2007); 2) The Ten-Thousand Islands (TTI) application between Everglades National Park and Naples; and 3) The Biscayne application from Biscayne Bay inland to the L-31N levee. The model-domain locations are shown in figure 1. The TIME application is used to evaluate CERP restoration scenarios by using output from the SFWMD regional 2x2 model and the TTI application yield information on manatee habitats. The TIME and Biscayne applications have been combined to produce the BIscayne/South-East Coastal Transport (BISECT) application. This tool has been used to develop a series of hindcast and futurecast simulations that can be used to examine landscape and topography changes, sea-level rise effects, precipitation changes, and ternperature changes. The modeling application to the Ten Thousand Islands (TTI) area required a smaller-scale application to the Port of the Islands marina that can represent vertical stratification in salinity and temperature. The Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) was applied for this purpose and used boundary conditions from the TTI model to represent existing and restoration conditions. The implementation of heat-transport in a wetland environment requires a number of heat-budget parameters that have not been well defined for the South Florida environment such as soil heat storage and albedo. Physical experiments are required to define these factors and improve the numerical model.

Bathymetry for the St. Johns River was derived from thirty-two surveys containing 158,931 soundings. No surveys were omitted. The average separation between soundings was 66 meters. Twenty-nine of the thirty-three surveys dated from 1935 to 1939. The remaining surveys, located in the north, dated from 1958 or 1959. The total range of sounding data was 0.6 meters to - 24.7 meters at mean low water. Mean high water values between 0.0 and 1.4 meters were assigned to the shoreline. Seven points were found that were not consistent with the surrounding data. These were removed prior to tinning. DEM grid values outside the shoreline (on land) were assigned null values (-32676). The St. Johns River has twenty-nine 7.5 minute DEMs and two one degree DEMs. The 1 degree DEMs were generated from the higher resolution 7.5 minute DEMs which covered the estuary. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) contains a series of elevations ordered from south to north with the order of the columns from west to east. The DEM is formatted as one ASCII header record (A- record), followed by a series of profile records (B- records) each of which include a short B-record header followed by a series of ASCII integer elevations (typically in units of 1 centimeter) per each profile. The last physical record of the DEM is an accuracy record (C-record). The 7.5-minute DEM (30- by 30-m data spacing) is cast on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. It provides coverage in 7.5- by 7.5-minute blocks. Each product provides the same coverage as a standard USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle but the DEM contains over edge data. Coverage is available for many estuaries of the contiguous United States but is not complete.

Bathymetry for St. Marys River/Cumberland Sound was derived from six surveys containing 36,976 soundings. Five older, overlapping, less accurate surveys were omitted before tinning the data. The average separation between soundings was 42 meters. The six surveys used dated from 1934 and 1935. The total range of sounding data was 1.2 meters to -20.7 meters at mean low water. Mean high water values between 1.8 and 2.1 meters were assigned to the shoreline. Five points were found that were not consistent with the surrounding points. These were removed prior to tinning. DEM grid values outside the shoreline (on land) were assigned null values (-32676). St. Marys River/Cumberland Sound has five 7.5 minute DEMs and a single one degree DEM. The 1 degree DEMs were generated from the higher resolution 7.5 minute DEMs which covered the estuary. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) contains a series of elevations ordered from south to north with the order of the columns from west to east. The DEM is formatted as one ASCII header record (A- record), followed by a series of profile records (B- records) each of which include a short B-record header followed by a series of ASCII integer elevations (typically in units of 1 centimeter) per each profile. The last physical record of the DEM is an accuracy record (C-record). The 7.5-minute DEM (30- by 30-m data spacing) is cast on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. It provides coverage in 7.5- by 7.5-minute blocks. Each product provides the same coverage as a standard USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle but the DEM contains over edge data. Coverage is available for many estuaries of the contiguous United States but is not complete.

This dataset contains modeled storm-induced mean water levels, which includes both waves and surge, at the shoreline during Extratropical Storm December. Values were computed by summing modeled storm surge and parameterized wave setup, the increase in mean water level at the shoreline due to breaking waves. The storm surge elevations along the open coast were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) . Maximum wave heights in 20-m water depth, obtained from the NOAA WaveWatch3 model 7-day forecast, were used to compute wave setup at the shoreline.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted research to quantify the combined effect of all constructive and destructive processes on modern coral reef ecosystems by projecting future regional-scale changes in seafloor elevation for several sites along the Florida Reef Tract, Florida (FL) including the shallow seafloor along the coast of Miami, FL. USGS staff used historical bathymetric point data from the 1930's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, see Yates and others, 2017) and light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived data acquired in 2002 (Brock and others, 2006, 2007) to calculate historical seafloor elevation changes in the Upper Florida Keys (UFK) (Yates and others, 2017). Using those changes in seafloor elevation, annual rates of erosion were calculated for 13 habitat types found in the UFK reef tract. The annual rate of mean erosion for each habitat type was applied to a digital elevation model (DEM) extending from Deerfield Beach to Homestead, FL that was modified from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Miami coastal DEM (NOAA, 2015) to project future seafloor elevation (from 2014) along the Miami section of the Florida Reef Tract. Grid resolution for the DEM is 1/3 arc second (approximately 10 meters).