Airborne lidar surveys near Mantoloking

Airborne lidar (light detection and ranging) surveys recorded coastal elevations before and after Hurricane Sandy and documented a large barrier-island breach near Mantoloking, New Jersey. Left: Pre-storm elevations acquired October 26, 2012. Center: Post-storm elevations acquired November 1, 2012. Right: "Difference map" showing elevation changes caused by the storm; red tones indicate elevation losses, which exceeded 5 meters (16 feet) in some places. Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar-B (EAARL-B, Wayne Wright, principal investigator) surveys conducted by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program lidar project. First-surface elevation data shown are preliminary.