Autonomous lidar‐based monitoring of coastal lagoon entrances

Intermittently closed and open lakes or Lagoons (ICOLLs) are characterised by entrance barriers that form or break down due to the action of wind, waves and currents until the ocean-lagoon exchange becomes discontinuous. Entrance closure raises a variety of management issues that are regulated by monitoring. In this paper, those issues are investigated, and an automated sensor solution is proposed. Based upon a static Lidar paired with an edge computing device. This solar‐powered remote sensing device provides an efficient way to automatically survey the lagoon entrance and estimate the berm profile. Additionally, it estimates the dry notch location and its height, critical factors in the management of the lagoon entrances. Generated data provide valuable insights into landscape evolution and berm behaviour during natural and mechanical breach events.