Baseline for the coast of Puerto Rico's main island generated to calculate shoreline change rates using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5.1 (ver. 2.0, March 2023)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains shoreline positions for the United States' coasts from both older sources, such as aerial photographs or topographic surveys, and contemporary sources, such as lidar-point clouds and digital elevation models. These shorelines are compiled and analyzed in the USGS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), version 5.1 software to calculate rates of change. Keeping a record of historical shoreline positions is an effective method to monitor change over time, enabling scientists to identify areas most susceptible to erosion or accretion. These data can help coastal managers understand which areas of the coast are vulnerable to change. This data release, and other associated products, represent [...]