Living Shoreline Prioritization and Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models for Restoration in the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida

Creator

Kelly M. Kibler, University of Central FloridaFollow
Melinda J. Donnelly, University of Central FloridaFollow
Vincent Encomio, Florida Sea Grant Extension Martin and St. Lucie CountiesFollow
Madison Giuntoli, University of Central FloridaFollow
Manisha Thenuwara, University of Central FloridaFollow
Brice Bennett, University of Central FloridaFollow
Laura Andrade Barron, University of Central FloridaFollow
Mariam Sonbol, University of Central FloridaFollow
Wynter Raine Seppala, Clemson UniversityFollow
Namritha Ramakrishnan, University of Central FloridaFollow
Jennifer Jordan Báez, Palm Beach County Dept. of Environmental Resources ManagementFollow
Beth Orlando, Palm Beach County Dept. of Environmental Resources ManagementFollow
Irene Arpayoglou, Florida Department of Environmental ProtectionFollow
Melissa Meisenburg, Indian River County Natural ResourcesFollow

Title - Alternative

UCF Shoreline Model

Preferred Title

Living Shoreline Prioritization and Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models for Restoration in the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida

Keywords

shorelines, mangrove, seagrass, oyster, wetland, hydrodynamics, restoration, living shoreline

Description

A living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL), Florida.

Abstract

The spatial dataset: UCF_shorelinemodel_IRL_LWL.shp, was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon.

The dataset presented herein includes:

1. shoreline data from >15,000 transects collected in the field,
2. shoreline wave climate data created through hydrodynamic modeling and frequency analysis of historic data,
3. categorization of potential risk for shoreline boat wake impact,
4. persistence of seagrass within 210 m of the shoreline,
5. model outputs of shorelines prioritized for stabilization/restoration based on field data, and
6. model outputs of shoreline hydrodynamic habitat suitability for mangroves and seagrass, created by combining hydrodynamic modelling outputs and field survey data.

Contributors

Principal Investigators: Dr. Kelly Kibler, University of Central Florida, Department of Civil, Environmental & Construction Engineering and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Kelly.Kibler@ucf.edu

Dr. Melinda Donnelly, University of Central Florida, Department of Biology and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Melinda.Donnelly@ucf.edu

Project Partners and Contributors: Irene Arpayoglou, Jenny Baez, Laura Andrade Barron, Brice Bennett, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Melissa Meisenburg, Beth Orlando, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Wynter Seppala, Mariam Sonbol and Manisha Thenuwara

Date Created

Fall 11-2025

Semester

Fall

Type

GIS

Language

English

Rights

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Unit

Civil, Environmental & Construction Engineering Department

Type

article

Recommended Citation

Kibler, K. M., M. J. Donnelly, V. Encomio, M. Giuntoli*, M. Thenuwara*, B. Bennett*, L. Andrade-Barron*, M. Sonbol**, W. R. Seppala**, N. Ramakrishnan*, J. J. Báez, B. Orlando, I. Arpayoglou, and M. Meisenburg (2025). Living Shoreline Prioritization and Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models for Restoration in the Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida.