Short communication: Perception of coastal barrier landscapes and implications for selection of landscape morphometrics

Landscapes tend to be described using some combination of mathematically- and statistically-derived morphometrics extracted from digital elevation models. For coastal barriers, these morphometrics are commonly used to characterize the response of these landscapes to sea level rise and storm activity, or to develop process-form relationships. However, it is not clear if these morphometrics, alone or in combination, are consistent with our interpretation of the landscape based on visual interpretation of structure and patterns. This study compares landscape interpretations based on commonly used morphometrics to visual interpretations made by experts and non-experts. Results suggest that what we visually perceive as landform structure and landscape pattern is not consistent with mathematically and statistically derived morphometrics, and that there is a need to evaluate whether the morphometrics we use are appropriate to characterize landforms in complex polygenetic landscapes for monitoring and management.