With generous support from the William and Linda Frost Fund at Cal Poly, I conducted a 12-month survey of Pismo Beach geomorphology. In collaboration with California State Parks, I mapped 3 sites across Pismo Beach with a small drone quadcopter to monitor the change in volume of sand as well as overall elevation of the beach. The project began in May 2024, and I finished data collection in April 2025. This project was inspired by the large-scale winter swell events coinciding with King Tides in the winters of 2023 and 2024, which caused a noticeable visual change to the topography of my study sites. However, the 12-month period in which I conducted my surveys were during a La Niña event, which resulted in less drastic changes than expected.
There were some seasonal shifts in sand amount and elevation (as expected), but more long-term monitoring could provide more clarity on the trends I found. If you wish to read my full paper, please view the below attachment.
