FisheriesCentre ResearchReports - Reconstructing the pre-contact shoreline of Burrard Inlet (British Columbia, Canada) to

In this study, we therefore used multiple lines of evidence to reconstruct the shoreline of Burrard Inlet as it existed prior to European contact in 1792 and quantified the spatial extent of intertidal and subtidal area change in the inlet from 1792 to 2020. [...] Therefore, in this study, we use multiple lines of evidence including historical and modern maps, archival documents, and Indigenous Knowledge, assisted by geographic information systems (GIS), to reconstruct the historical shoreline of Burrard Inlet and quantify the spatial extent of intertidal and subtidal area change in the inlet since Europeans first arrived in the area. [...] Location of Burrard Inlet and Delineation of Sub-basins/Reaches for Shoreline Change Analysis 15 Results Pre-Contact and Present-Day Shoreline and Intertidal Zone The georectification and digitization of the 1893 navigational chart and Goad’s Fire Insurance Map produced shoreline, low tide line, and intertidal areas as digital features that represent Burrard Inlet in the late 1800s. [...] With the use of historical maps, error and uncertainty can be introduced in the following ways: • Inaccuracies in the processes of historical paper map creation based on the typical methods used including sketching of the shoreline between surveyed points (Moore 2000); • The natural shoreline complexity and the linear distance between surveyed points used to represent the shoreline (Stoa 2019); •. [...] Floating and overwater structure such as docks, marinas, piers, and ports alter the shoreline by shading the intertidal zone, changing the visual character of the shoreline, and altering the flow of water, sediment, and movement along the shoreline (Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.