Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment Project public presentation

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Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 are two major events that have affected habitats and natural resources on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The latter event prompted a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate viable, sustainable restoration measures that reduce degradation and enhance the natural resources of Dauphin Island. In collaboration with the State of Alabama and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the overarching goal of the Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Assessment was to document baseline conditions and forecast potential conditions under varying sea-level change and storm scenarios for a no-action alternative along with a variety of restoration measures including beach and dune restoration, marsh and back-barrier restoration, and placement of sand in the littoral zone. 

For more information and products from the study, see https://gom.usgs.gov/DauphinIsland/Default.aspx. 

Davina Passeri (SPCMSC) and Nicholas Enwright (WARC) co-presented an overview of the Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment on the Department of the Interior’s Internal Gulf Restoration weekly meeting. This meeting is led by Mary Josie Blanchard, the Department of the Interior’s Director of Gulf Restoration, and includes 20 individuals representing the USGS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Safety and the Environment. The purpose of these meetings is to promote awareness across bureaus via information exchange on Deep Water Horizon restoration and science projects.  

Read what else is new at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.