Lake Erie Shoreline Bluff Erosion

Project Objectives

•Shoreline erosion poses risks to humans and infrastructure

•Aim to assess shoreline bluff erosion over time

•Finding a correlation between shoreline recession rate and bedrock lithology

Data and Results

•Digitizing US Topographic map shorelines from the last century in ArcGIS Pro to find a rate of change

•Evaporites have eroded faster than shales

•Conducted a small-scale study at Sturgeon Point in Marina in Evans, NY to observe a shoreline with shale and glacial till.

•The blocky shale cliffs have more evidence of erosion than the sloping glacial till

Significance

•Fast erosion rates means properties will be negatively affected by shoreline collapse sooner

•Northern Lake Erie, where evaporites are present may experience higher risk of the negative effects of shoreline erosion

•Future more precise work is necessary to rule out methodolgical biases

Publication or Conference

E. DeMieri, J. Boyle, J. Briner, 2025. Effects of Western New York Varying Bedrock on Lake Erie Shoreline Bluff Erosion, American Geophysical Union 2025 Conference, Online Poster.

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Center for Geological and Climate Hazards

Interdisciplinary Research Experience for Undergraduates in Atmospheric and Geological Hazards