Aerial Photograph Interpretation Project

An Interpretation Key of Select Fluvial Land Forms

Shoreline features from the coast of Prince Edward Island

Joe Fraser
December 12, 2008
College of Geographic Science
Nova Scotia Community College
 Table Of Contents

Introduction Page 3

Fluvial Features: Point Bar Page 4

Fluvial Features: Undercut Bank Page 5

Fluvial Features: Oxbow Page 6

Coastal Features: Barrier Beach Page 7

Coastal Features: Tombolo Page 8

Sources Page 9

Joe Fraser, NSCC, 2008 Aerial Photograph Interpretation Project Page 1

 Introduction

This project is intended to be a guide of select

fluvial and coastal features. These features are
illustrated using stereograms, created in CorelDRAW
X4. The purpose of the stereograms is to recreate the
effect of true vision by using two sequential flight line
photographs and splicing them together at
approximately 55 mm apart, or roughly the distance
between our eyes. The stereograms are to be viewed
using special glasses, or by “free viewing” for those
who are capable, and provide the viewer with a more
detailed look at land forms. These land forms demand
a “3D” look to properly identify their features. The
following are 5 common features: an oxbow, a tombolo,
an undercut bank, a barrier beach, and a point bar.
Coastal features from south of Yarmouth, NS

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 Fluvial Features

Point Bar

1 2 3 4 5

Point bars usually occur on older rivers, and are

symptomatic of fluvial erosion. Identifying a point bar is
done by looking for a sandy deposit on the inside of a river
bend. As the location of the river changes, point bars are
known to happen. At the river bend, the flowing water
erodes the outside edge of the bend, causing the river
path to drift from the inside to the outside. Sandy
deposits, which previously would have been swept
downstream by the current, remain, forming a point bar.
In the photo, there are many examples of point
bars, each located on the inside bend of an aged river.

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 Fluvial Features

Undercut Bank

1 2 3 4 5

An undercut bank is created by the erosive power

of water. The current of the river has a tendency to carry
away the silt and soil of the riverbank. This usually
happens on the outside of a river bend, and is sometimes
indicated by a point on its opposite side. The point bar
indicated a drift of the path of the river, and if the river is
of narrower width on the bend, it indicates the possibility
of an undercut bank. Another thing to assist in finding an
undercut bank is the presence of a shadow on the outside
of a bend. Trees and other growth often assist in the
formation of an undercut bank, as their roots hold the soil
fast, though only to a certain depth. If the river is below
the depth of the root system in a less compact soil base,
bank undercutting is possible.

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 Fluvial Features

Oxbow

1 2 3 4 5

Oxbows are indicative of a meandering river. Winding rivers change their paths often. Water
always follows the easiest path, and can slowly erode the riverbanks to seek a new direction. The old
path takes on the form of a crescent-shaped lake (British Columbia Ministry of Forests), which over
time can become a dry lake bed. In the photograph above, the oxbow still has water. Below, the oxbow
is visible in the middle of the left-hand side of the photo.

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 Coastal Features

Barrier Beach

1 2 3 4 5

Barrier Beaches form from

the deposition of sand offshore,
forming parallel to the coastline.
They can be attached to the
mainland, with a lagoon or estuary
separating the two, or can be free
from the coast altogether. Barrier
beaches are easily identifiable by
their shape. In the stereogram
above, the beach is still attached to
the mainland, and is predominantly
made of sand deposits. The location
of this beach is on Prince Edward
Island, on the northern coast. At
right, you can see the relationship
between the beach and the
A barrier beach on the coast of Prince Edward Island
mainland more clearly.

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 Coastal Features

Tombolo

1 2 3 4 5

A tombolo is defined as a bar C

connecting an island with the
mainland (British Columbia
D
Ministry of Forests). In the
photograph above, the tombolo is
E
the thin beach, which probably
eroded faster than the small island
at its end, due to its composition. F

Tombolos are spotted by looking for

refractions in wave patterns, and G

are found near sandy beaches and

cliffs. As you can see, the waves H

break around the island, and never

come together again, indicating a I

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 Sources

Title Photograph: http://www.gov.pe.ca/aerialsurvey/ RF: 1:2,100 Page 1

Introduction Photograph: Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre DataLocator Page 3

Point Bar: Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre. RF: 1:10,000 Page 4

Undercut Bank: Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre. RF: 1:5,000 Page 5

Oxbow: Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre. RF: 1:150 Page 6

Barrier Beach: http://www.gov.pe.ca/aerialsurvey/ . RF: 1:1,452.5 Page 7

Tombolo: Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre. RF: 1:5,000 Page 8

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