A geospatial approach to assessing erosion-induced Dermochelys coriacea nest loss on dynamic coastlines

A geospatial approach to assessing erosion-induced Dermochelys coriacea nest loss on dynamic coastlines | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A geospatial approach to assessing erosion-induced Dermochelys coriacea nest loss on dynamic coastlines Adrian Wilson, Deanesh Ramsewak, Kyle Mitchell, Brandon Edwards, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8182593/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Seven species of marine turtles are recognized globally, six of which are listed as endangered or threatened under the IUCN Red List. Leatherback turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea ) exhibit the lowest hatching success rate among these species, with nest failure strongly influenced by nesting site characteristics and geomorphological processes. Trinidad hosts some of the highest-density leatherback nesting sites worldwide, yet coastal erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, poses a growing threat to nest viability. Despite recognition of this vulnerability, quantitative assessments of erosion-induced nest loss remain scarce in the Caribbean. Methods We developed a geospatial framework to assess nest exposure and loss due to erosion at Matura Beach, Trinidad. High-resolution drone imagery was used to generate digital surface models (DSMs) and orthomosaics, which were combined with spatial nest distribution data collected across three nesting seasons (2023–2025). Stable nesting areas were identified and evaluated across annual erosion–accretion cycles. Results Analysis revealed that shoreline retreat accounted for between 15% and 45% of total annual nest loss during the study period. The integration of drone-derived DSMs with nest distribution data provided fine-scale insights into spatial vulnerability and highlighted dynamic shifts in nesting habitat stability. Conclusion This framework demonstrates the utility of drone-based monitoring for dynamic coastal habitats and offers a replicable method for conservation planning across similarly vulnerable nesting sites. Findings support adaptive management strategies, including targeted nest relocations and erosion mitigation, to safeguard critical nesting areas for the northwestern Atlantic leatherback population. Leatherbacks hatching success coastal erosion Matura Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8182593","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":557228405,"identity":"c352a4fc-bcec-4997-815e-ccd558f4f53e","order_by":0,"name":"Adrian 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coastlines","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Leatherbacks, hatching success, coastal erosion, Matura","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8182593/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8182593/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeven species of marine turtles are recognized globally, six of which are listed as endangered or threatened under the IUCN Red List. Leatherback turtles (\u003cem\u003eDermochelys coriacea\u003c/em\u003e) exhibit the lowest hatching success rate among these species, with nest failure strongly influenced by nesting site characteristics and geomorphological processes. Trinidad hosts some of the highest-density leatherback nesting sites worldwide, yet coastal erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, poses a growing threat to nest viability. Despite recognition of this vulnerability, quantitative assessments of erosion-induced nest loss remain scarce in the Caribbean.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe developed a geospatial framework to assess nest exposure and loss due to erosion at Matura Beach, Trinidad. High-resolution drone imagery was used to generate digital surface models (DSMs) and orthomosaics, which were combined with spatial nest distribution data collected across three nesting seasons (2023\u0026ndash;2025). Stable nesting areas were identified and evaluated across annual erosion\u0026ndash;accretion cycles.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnalysis revealed that shoreline retreat accounted for between 15% and 45% of total annual nest loss during the study period. The integration of drone-derived DSMs with nest distribution data provided fine-scale insights into spatial vulnerability and highlighted dynamic shifts in nesting habitat stability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis framework demonstrates the utility of drone-based monitoring for dynamic coastal habitats and offers a replicable method for conservation planning across similarly vulnerable nesting sites. Findings support adaptive management strategies, including targeted nest relocations and erosion mitigation, to safeguard critical nesting areas for the northwestern Atlantic leatherback population.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A geospatial approach to assessing erosion-induced Dermochelys coriacea nest loss on dynamic coastlines","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-10 22:37:22","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8182593/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4c7d891f-78a2-42ba-b2af-15a1a6f19627","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 10th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-12T22:08:29+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-10 22:37:22","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8182593","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8182593","identity":"rs-8182593","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}