Observations and models show that maintaining barrier islands requires a balance between sea-level rise and sediment supply. However, most estimates of sediment supply are not based on modern conditions, which could result in less accurate predictions of sediment fluxes. We explore how natural and human alterations impact modern sediment fluxes, or changes, on barrier islands – research that has important implications for coastal resilience and restoration.
Introduction
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project, we measure sediment supply changes throughout barrier island systems, including terrestrial and submerged environments (back barrier, island, and shoreface) using repeat geophysical surveys, remote-sensing analyses, and sediment sampling. This integrated approach allows us to better understand short-term changes resulting from storms, post-storm recovery, or human activities. We couple our short-term observations with modeling and long-term geologic characterization to assess barrier island change over multiple time scales and develop predictive scenarios for future barrier-island evolution. This information is critical for resource managers to effectively respond to environmental and man-made challenges.
Submerged Sediment Fluxes
Interannual time-series of bathymetry data showing infilling of a borrow pit created at the northern end of the Chandeleur Islands in 2010. Bathymetry shows seafloor depth, with red representing shallow water and blue representing deeper water. Sediment originally removed from the borrow pit was placed as a sand berm along the island platform and has been redistributed over the last several years. Using these data, we can estimate modern sediment fluxes and variations in those fluxes year-to-year, helping guide models and coastal restoration planning.
Subaerial Island Changes
This time series of Landsat satellite imagery shows changes at the northern Chandeleur Islands resulting from storm events and berm construction. We use remote-sensing datasets to extract information such as land area, land-cover, and beach or marsh widths and track how those features change through time.
Integrated Submerged and Terrestrial Sediment Flux
Over short-time periods, we use annual satellite imagery, aerial photography, and submerged and terrestrial elevation data to measure change across the whole barrier-island system. Transects (purple lines) show the locations of annual elevation data and plots from the northernmost transect show vertical island growth due to increased sediment supply.
Sedimentology
Coastal sediments can record barrier island processes that occur when we are not around to measure them. Small-scale changes in sediment texture can tell us what processes contributed to barrier island erosion/deposition or where sediments are redistributed. We measure textural changes in surface samples and in cores to quantify along- and cross-barrier sediment exchanges.
Learn more about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Project
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF)
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Coastal Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 Offshore of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2018 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2017 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2016 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Below are publications associated with this project.
Satellite-derived barrier response and recovery following natural and anthropogenic perturbations, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea level rise
Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York
Quantification of storm-induced bathymetric change in a back-barrier estuary
Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Integrating geophysical and oceanographic data to assess interannual variability in longshore sediment transport
Coastal Change at Fire Island
This geonarrative features research used to predict how Fire Island beaches change in response to storms and how they may subsequently recover in the year following a storm event.
- Overview
Observations and models show that maintaining barrier islands requires a balance between sea-level rise and sediment supply. However, most estimates of sediment supply are not based on modern conditions, which could result in less accurate predictions of sediment fluxes. We explore how natural and human alterations impact modern sediment fluxes, or changes, on barrier islands – research that has important implications for coastal resilience and restoration.
Introduction
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project, we measure sediment supply changes throughout barrier island systems, including terrestrial and submerged environments (back barrier, island, and shoreface) using repeat geophysical surveys, remote-sensing analyses, and sediment sampling. This integrated approach allows us to better understand short-term changes resulting from storms, post-storm recovery, or human activities. We couple our short-term observations with modeling and long-term geologic characterization to assess barrier island change over multiple time scales and develop predictive scenarios for future barrier-island evolution. This information is critical for resource managers to effectively respond to environmental and man-made challenges.
Submerged Sediment Fluxes
Interannual time-series of bathymetry data showing infilling of a borrow pit created at the northern end of the Chandeleur Islands in 2010. Bathymetry shows seafloor depth, with red representing shallow water and blue representing deeper water. Sediment originally removed from the borrow pit was placed as a sand berm along the island platform and has been redistributed over the last several years. Using these data, we can estimate modern sediment fluxes and variations in those fluxes year-to-year, helping guide models and coastal restoration planning.
(Public domain.) Subaerial Island Changes
This time series of Landsat satellite imagery shows changes at the northern Chandeleur Islands resulting from storm events and berm construction. We use remote-sensing datasets to extract information such as land area, land-cover, and beach or marsh widths and track how those features change through time.
This time series of Landsat satellite imagery shows changes at the northern Chandeleur Islands resulting from storm events and berm construction. We use remote-sensing datasets to extract information such as land area, land-cover, and beach or marsh widths and track how those features change through time. Integrated Submerged and Terrestrial Sediment Flux
Over short-time periods, we use annual satellite imagery, aerial photography, and submerged and terrestrial elevation data to measure change across the whole barrier-island system. Transects (purple lines) show the locations of annual elevation data and plots from the northernmost transect show vertical island growth due to increased sediment supply.
(Public domain.) Sedimentology
Coastal sediments can record barrier island processes that occur when we are not around to measure them. Small-scale changes in sediment texture can tell us what processes contributed to barrier island erosion/deposition or where sediments are redistributed. We measure textural changes in surface samples and in cores to quantify along- and cross-barrier sediment exchanges.
- Science
Learn more about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Project
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF)
Sediments are the foundation of coastal systems, including barrier islands. Their behavior is driven by not only sediment availability, but also sediment exchanges between barrier island environments. We collect geophysical, remote sensing, and sediment data to estimate these parameters, which are integrated with models to improve prediction of coastal response to extreme storms and sea-level rise... - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Coastal Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 Offshore of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey
The U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC), collected multibeam echosounder (MBES) data off the coast of Seven Mile Island in September of 2018. This USGS data release includes the resulting processed elevation point data (xyz). For further information regarding data collection and/or processing please see the metadata associated with this data releaArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2018 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in August of 2017. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution, particularly storm-related depoArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2017 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in August of 2017. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution, particularly storm-related depoArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2016 From the Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in June of 2016. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution, particularly storm-related deposi - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Satellite-derived barrier response and recovery following natural and anthropogenic perturbations, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
The magnitude and frequency of storm events, relative sea-level rise (RSLR), sediment supply, and anthropogenic alterations drive the morphologic evolution of barrier island systems, although the relative importance of any one driver will vary with the spatial and temporal scales considered. To explore the relative contributions of storms and human alterations to sediment supply on de-cadal changeImpacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
We analyzed grain-size distributions (GSDs) from a time-series of sediment samples to evaluate sediment transport following anthropogenic sand-berm emplacement at the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. End-member analysis (EMA) was applied to compare the end-member (EM) GSD of a known sediment source to GSDs from surrounding environments and characterize the physical redistribution of sourceNatural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea level rise
Storm-driven sediment fluxes onto and behind barrier islands help coastal barrier systems keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). Understanding what controls cross-shore sediment flux magnitudes is critical for making accurate forecasts of barrier response to increased SLR rates. Here, using an existing morphodynamic model for barrier island evolution, observations are used to constrain model parametNearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York
Investigations of coastal change at Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), sought to characterize sediment budgets and determine geologic framework controls on coastal processes. Nearshore sediment thickness is critical for assessing coastal system sediment availability, but it is largely unquantified due to the difficulty of conducting geological or geophysical surveys across the nearshore. This study useQuantification of storm-induced bathymetric change in a back-barrier estuary
Geomorphology is a fundamental control on ecological and economic function of estuaries. However, relative to open coasts, there has been little quantification of storm-induced bathymetric change in back-barrier estuaries. Vessel-based and airborne bathymetric mapping can cover large areas quickly, but change detection is difficult because measurement errors can be larger than the actual changes oEvolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island-estuary system. Barrier island morphologic responsIntegrating geophysical and oceanographic data to assess interannual variability in longshore sediment transport
Despite their utility for prediction of coastal behavior and for coastal management, littoral sediment budgets are difficult to quantify over large regions of coastline and over short time scales. In this study, bathymetric change analysis shows differences in the magnitude and spatial location of erosion and accretion over three years; more net accumulation occurred at the littoral end point of t - Web Tools
Coastal Change at Fire Island
This geonarrative features research used to predict how Fire Island beaches change in response to storms and how they may subsequently recover in the year following a storm event.