Abstract
This raster was originally created to visualize the distribution of wave exposure across the Gulf coastline of Alabama, USA in an effort to improve sea turtle nest relocation decisions. Sea turtle nests are relocated if they are deemed at-risk of wave exposure but misinterpretation of the current criterion (i.e, proximity to the daily high tide line) has resulted in a large percentage of unnecessary relocations. This wave exposure raster can be used as a decision tool to better identify at-risk locations for sea turtles as well as other beach-dwelling species. The underlying methodology used to produce it can be applied to any sandy coastline as a real-time, hindcast, or forecast tool.Inundation events caused by wave wash-over and groundwater inundation can be fatal to developing sea turtle eggs and other beach-dwelling organisms. Wave runup models have been applied in the past to assess flooding risk during storm, model sediment transport, and design coastal construction. However, their use in coastal species management has not been evaluated. This wave runup map was developed using a time-averaged digital elevation model (based on 12 LiDAR surveys from 1998 to 2016) and offshore wave data (from the Orange Beach, AL NOAA buoy during the 2009 to 2016 nesting seasons). The extent of the raster represents the maximum available extent of sea turtle nesting habitat, stretching from mean low water to the dune line/back-beach construction.