Australian Government - Geoscience Australia logo
Digital Earth Australia logo

Derived data product DEA Coastlines

  • Track coastal change since 1988

  • Monitor more than 33,000 km of coast

  • Explore on a map or download

Colourful lines with annual dates curve around a coastline image
Updated
Annually
Satellite data from
Landsat
Data since
1988
Last update
August 2023

Quick links

See decades of coastal change

DEA Coastlines combines satellite data with tidal modelling to map the changing location of Australia's coastline since 1988. Resulting annual shorelines and detailed rates of change show how beaches, sandspits, river mouths, and tidal flats have grown and eroded over time

DEA Coastlines - 1988-2020 - Cervantes, WA

DEA Coastlines - 1988-2020 - Cervantes, Western Australia.  Annual coastline data showing 32 years of coastal change

Woman with hat and backpack walks away on an orange coastal rock shelf

The product draws on nearly 58,000 independent measurements to ensure accuracy, supported by local councils, state governments, citizen scientists and academia

Aerial view of red unit blocks on edge of a beach with clear blue water

DEA Coastlines data accurately maps rates of coastal change and hotspots of erosion and growth at every 30 metres along the entire Australian coastline

Why track changing coastlines?

  • Provide new insights to scientists, coastal managers, local communities and policymakers

  • Model how coastlines respond to drivers of change, including extreme weather events, sea level rise and urban development

  • Prioritise and evaluate impacts of local and regional coastal management decisions

  • Support research into how and why coastlines have changed over time

DEA Coastlines interactive map

Visit DEA Maps to get the full interactive map with DEA Coastlines and other DEA products.

Colourful sand spit seen from aerial view through turquoise ocean

Imagery for impact The growing sands of Twilight Cove

Get a snapshot of the stories revealed by DEA Coastlines, including how one remote and spectacular Western Australian beach has grown by more than 500 m since 1988.

Related resources

DEA Coastlines - 1988-2021 - Moreton Island, Queensland - Development of a new sand spit on the southern tip of Moreton Island in Queensland.png

DEA Coastlines FAQs

Frequently asked questions about Digital Earth Australia (DEA) Coastlines

DEA Coastlines FAQs FAQs
Smiling man with glasses stands in front of beach and looks to camera

Seminar: Time and Tide

Meet Digital Earth Australia’s Dr Robbi Bishop-Taylor in this seminar on mapping Australia's coastal zone through time and space with DEA data.

Seminar: Time and Tide Watch now
Map showing coastal change at Streaky Bay, SA

Journal Article

Mapping Australia's dynamic coastline at mean sea level using three decades of Landsat imagery

Journal Article Read the paper

Join our community

Slack for support

Ask questions of the many data and spatial analysts, developers and scientists managing and experimenting with DEA data

Express your interest

Got a project that needs a big picture? We’re open to collaborative projects with government, industry and communities that serve Australia’s future.

Get our newsletter

Stay informed of new products, seminars and learning opportunities from DEA and our partners