Measuring the effects of morphological changes to sea turtle nesting beaches over time with LiDAR data

•LiDAR data was used to quantify changes to coastal areas over time for endangered species' habitat.•Variables quantified include slope, volume, and measures of surface roughness.•Correlations between sea turtle nesting success and changes to beach morphology were found.

Sea turtle nesting beaches in southeastern Florida were evaluated for changes from 1999 to 2005 using LiDAR datasets. Changes to beach volume were correlated with changes in several elevation-derived characteristics, such as elevation and slope. In addition, these changes to beach geomorphology were correlated to changes in nest success, illustrating that beach alterations may affect sea turtle nesting behavior. The ability to use LiDAR datasets to quickly and efficiently conduct beach comparisons for habitat use represents another benefit to this high spatial resolution data.