The Pine Knoll Shores Living Shoreline Project, coordinated by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, is stabilizing the shoreline near the NC Aquarium and Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area. The project integrates nature-based approaches—including Natrx ExoForms™, QuickReef®, and Oyster Catcher™ structures to enhance coastal resilience and habitat value.

Our lab conducts the drone-based monitoring in partnership with the Gittman Lab, who conducts complementary field transects in marsh and seagrass zones. Together, these efforts link on-the-ground vegetation data with drone-based mapping to track how habitats and nearshore morphology change around the new shoreline structures.

Research Questions

• How do seagrass and salt marsh habitats respond to the installation of oyster breakwaters?
• What spatial patterns link vegetation, sediment movement, and the placement of stabilization features?
• Can repeated drone surveys capture subtle, seasonal transitions such as shifts between Halodule and Zostera with confidence?

Methods

We fly drones to monitor how seagrass, salt marsh, and nearshore landforms shift around living shoreline structures (Figure A, below). Each flight produces high-resolution imagery that’s rigorously processed with photogrammetry and ground control to create precise coastal maps. Field-based ecological surveys conducted by the Gittman Lab serve as ground-truth reference points for validating drone-derived classifications and ensuring environmental accuracy (Figure B, below). By comparing surveys through time, we track patterns of vegetation and sediment change linked to stabilization features and seasonal cycles.

Why It Matters

The Pine Knoll Shores project extends this monitoring framework from shoreline change to habitat response. By pairing drone-based mapping with ecological field observations, we can assess how seagrass, salt marsh, and nearshore morphology shift around stabilized shorelines. This information helps to reveal how living shoreline designs influence habitat resilience and help refine strategies for protecting coastal ecosystems along Bogue Banks and beyond.

Support & Acknowledgements

This monitoring collaboration is supported by the North Carolina Coastal Federation, with project funding awarded to the Gittman Lab. We’re grateful to our partners at the Gittman Lab for leading ecological field surveys and to the NC Aquarium and Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area for site access and logistical support.