Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Open Access Master's Report

Degree Name

Master of Geographic Information Science

Administrative Home Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Advisor 1

Mickey Jarvi

Advisor 2

Michael Hyslop

Committee Member 1

Parth Bhatt

Abstract

Shoreline erosion in Lake Michigan has been a significant concern for coastal management. Promoting coastal stability and resilience is paramount to protecting these environments, especially amid climate change. While several factors are key in understanding shoreline erosion, seasonal ice cover duration is a prominent yet understudied factor in the Great Lakes region. Here, the relationship between ice cover duration and shoreline erosion rates is assessed across 7 regions of Lake Michigan. An ice cover duration dataset was created for Lake Michigan for 2011 – 2020 and its shorelines were digitized for years with available high-resolution aerial imagery. The statistical relationship was analyzed and found unlikely to be spatially uniform, with its nature likely contingent on other factors. These findings indicate that seasonal ice cover duration has a variable impact on erosion and that further research is needed to understand the factors influencing this relationship.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Available for download on Tuesday, November 18, 2025

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