Right here’s how the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has been monitoring erosion on Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) – A drone might be hovering over Tybee Island’s seashores over the following few days, flown by a analysis skilled with The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s Alexander lab.

High within the sky, it’s taking pictures of the seashore and gathering elevation knowledge, utilizing a system referred to as LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging.

“We’re using laser light pulses from the drone and measuring how long it takes for that pulse to go from the drone back to the land surface and then be reflected back to the drone,” defined Clark Alexander, Director of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

The naturally occurring erosion on Tybee Island has been ramping up in the previous few years, creating a necessity for extra frequent renourishment.

Researchers with the Skidaway institute of Oceanography have been observing adjustments on the seashores and gathering knowledge to create detailed maps. These maps assist us higher perceive erosion on the seashores, and assist town craft a plan to handle it.

“To develop a topographic map, if you will, of what the beach looks like so that we could follow both how the dunes are performing and also how the beach is retreating,” Alexander defined.

They do these each three months and after main storms. These maps present patterns of abrasion at every part of the seashore over time. The most up-to-date map goals to indicate the island what, if any, impression Hurricane Erin had on the island. All of this, helps town plan its renourishment course of.

“We’ve been able to make recommendations about where they might want to think about doing re-nourishments sooner rather than later to help protect the island,” Alexander mentioned.

The knowledge is offered to City of Tybee leaders, who let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers know the place sand must be positioned in the course of the renourishment.

Tybee Island’s subsequent seashore renourishment is slated for winter of 2026.

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