Modeling Environmental Change Effects to Coastal Historic Landscapes and Cultural Resources, Point Reyes, California

Client: National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT)

Location: Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, CA

The ASC, in coordination with the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS), completed a 3D photorealistic modeling project, in FY2017-2018, to understand and re-create visualizations of the shoreline and the prior and future effects of environmental change near Point Reyes, California. The project models the evolution of sea level, changing plant communities, erosional dynamics, and effects on ecosystems over the last 18,000 years, and projected for the next 2,000 years into the future. The technology used included LiDAR datasets modified in ArcGIS and imported into Terragen 4.0, a photorealistic scenery generator.

The project deliverables include low earth orbit animations over the entire time span, along with ground-level visualizations set during specific periods that convey an immersive sense of the PRNS as it existed in the past, and as it may exist in the future given the various models for sea level rise and climate change projected for the California Coast. The project was completed at the end of the 2018 Fiscal Year, but outcomes related to future management of historic landscapes, as well as public education and interpretation for the National Park Service are still underway.