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.
Barrier Islands as Connected Systems
With a wealth of knowledge about how shorelines, beaches, and dunes respond to storms and the variability of inner shelf geology, the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program is poised to extend its morphologic and geologic expertise across the shoreface and back-barrier data gaps. Shoreface geology is particularly important to assess since it may record evidence of processes that we otherwise don’t have the opportunities or capabilities to observe. With these goals in mind, we measure geology and morphology in coastal environments to reconstruct past environmental histories and estimate the magnitude and rate of sediment exchanges (e.g., fluxes) over a range of time scales. Integration of these observations with models allows us to predict past and future behavior of barrier-island systems in a changing climate and provides information to help our partners mitigate coastal hazards and identify coastal restoration priorities.
Project Objectives:
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Incorporate shoreface morphology and geology into coastal-change assessments
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Conduct repeat geophysical surveys to estimate sediment fluxes with better accuracy and temporal resolution
-
Understand how coastal systems respond to storms, variations in sediment supply and rate of sea-level rise over short (1-10s year) and long (100-1000 year) time scales
-
Make predictions of future (long-term) coastal vulnerability and resilience rooted in robust morphologic and geologic observations
Learn more about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project
Storm-Related Barrier Island Morphological Evolution
Barrier Island Sensitivity to Changes in Sediment Supply
Shoreface Morphology and Geology
Modeling Barrier Island Evolution, Shoreface Morphology, and Overwash
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Capabilities
Below are data associated with this project.
Coastal Land-Cover and Feature Datasets Extracted from Landsat Satellite Imagery, Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Coastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in September-October 2019 from Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Cedar Island, Virginia
Coastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in August 2019 from Cedar Island, Virginia
Coastal Bathymetry Data Collected in August 2018 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
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
Coastal Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in August 2017 From the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in June 2018 From Fire Island, New York
Coastal Bathymetry Data Collected in June 2018 from Fire Island, New York: Wilderness Breach and Shoreface
Coastal Bathymetry Data Collected in 2016 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Secrets of the Sediment on Barrier Islands
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Undeveloped and developed phases in the centennial evolution of a barrier-marsh-lagoon system: The case of Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Geologic framework, anthropogenic impacts, and hydrodynamics contribute to variable sediment availability and shoreface morphology at the Rockaway Peninsula, NY
Shoreface and Holocene sediment thickness offshore of Rockaway Peninsula, New York
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
Quantifying thresholds of barrier geomorphic change in a cross-shore sediment-partitioning model
Barrier coasts, including barrier islands, beach-ridge plains, and associated landforms, can assume a broad spectrum of morphologies over multi-decadal scales that reflect conditions of sediment availability, accommodation, and relative sea-level rise. However, the quantitative thresholds of these controls on barrier-system behavior remain largely unexplored, even as modern sea-level rise and anth
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
Characterizing storm response and recovery using the beach change envelope: Fire Island, New York
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
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.
Subaerial Barrier Sediment Partitioning (SBSP) Model Version 1.0
Below are news stories associated with this project.
USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Researcher Rose Palermo receives prestigious award from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Dr. Rose Palermo was selected to receive the George “Gera” Pavlovich Panteleyev Award from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This award is presented to a student who best exemplifies the commitment to improving the graduate education experience and graduate student life at WHOI.
- Overview
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.
Barrier Islands as Connected Systems
With a wealth of knowledge about how shorelines, beaches, and dunes respond to storms and the variability of inner shelf geology, the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program is poised to extend its morphologic and geologic expertise across the shoreface and back-barrier data gaps. Shoreface geology is particularly important to assess since it may record evidence of processes that we otherwise don’t have the opportunities or capabilities to observe. With these goals in mind, we measure geology and morphology in coastal environments to reconstruct past environmental histories and estimate the magnitude and rate of sediment exchanges (e.g., fluxes) over a range of time scales. Integration of these observations with models allows us to predict past and future behavior of barrier-island systems in a changing climate and provides information to help our partners mitigate coastal hazards and identify coastal restoration priorities.
Project Objectives:
-
Incorporate shoreface morphology and geology into coastal-change assessments
-
Conduct repeat geophysical surveys to estimate sediment fluxes with better accuracy and temporal resolution
-
Understand how coastal systems respond to storms, variations in sediment supply and rate of sea-level rise over short (1-10s year) and long (100-1000 year) time scales
-
Make predictions of future (long-term) coastal vulnerability and resilience rooted in robust morphologic and geologic observations
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. Learn more about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project capabilities here. -
- Science
Learn more about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project
Storm-Related Barrier Island Morphological Evolution
Storms quickly and dramatically alter barrier island environments by changing adjacent seafloor morphology, eroding beaches, scarping or leveling dunes, and sometimes creating new inlets. Measuring the magnitude of barrier island sediment movement during and after storms allows us to track rates of beach recovery, dune growth, and inlet-related alterations to barrier island sediment supply.Barrier Island Sensitivity to Changes in Sediment Supply
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...Shoreface Morphology and Geology
Exchanges of sediment between the shoreface and barrier islands allow barrier islands to adjust to changes in water level, such as those associated with storms or sea-level rise. Characterizing shoreface morphology and geology allows us to explore how past and present processes have impacted modern barrier island sediment transport and what that means for future barrier island evolution.Modeling Barrier Island Evolution, Shoreface Morphology, and Overwash
Barrier island field observations provide information about past and current environmental conditions and changes over time; however, they can’t tell us about the future. Models can predict possible future behaviors but are only as good as their input data. By integrating both observations and models, we can extend observations and arrive at more realistic predictions of barrier island behavior...Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Capabilities
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project, we use innovative technology and integrate a variety of techniques to characterize barrier island environments, reconstruct their past history, and predict their future vulnerability. - Data
Below are data associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 15Coastal Land-Cover and Feature Datasets Extracted from Landsat Satellite Imagery, Northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
This data release serves as an archive of coastal land-cover and feature datasets derived from Landsat satellite imagery at the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. To minimize effects of tidal water-level variations, 75 cloud-free, low-water images acquired between 1984 and 2019 were analyzed. Water, bare earth (sand), vegetated, and intertidal land-cover classes were mapped from Hewes Point tArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Rockaway Peninsula, New York
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey to map the shoreface of Rockaway, New York (NY) between September and October of 2019. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution and the seCoastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in September-October 2019 from Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS - SPCSMC), conducted a geophysical survey nearshore the Rockaway Peninsula, New York, during September and October 2019. During this study, multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data were collected aboard the R/V Sallenger (two separate survey efforts: Leg 1-OctoberArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Cedar Island, Virginia
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey to map the shoreface of Cedar Island, Virginia (VA) in August of 2019. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution and the sediment fluxes thCoastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in August 2019 from Cedar Island, Virginia
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS SPCSMC), conducted a geophysical survey of Cedar Island, Virginia, August 2019. During this study, multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data were collected aboard the R/V Sallenger, while single-beam bathymetry were collected aboard a towed seismic sled. Efforts were supportCoastal Bathymetry Data Collected in August 2018 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS-SPCSMC), conducted a bathymetric survey of the Northern Chandeleur Islands, in August 2018. During this study, multibeam bathymetry data were collected aboard the research vessel (R/V) Sallenger, while single-beam bathymetry data were collected aboard the R/V Jabba Jaw. EffoCoastal 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 depoCoastal Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in August 2017 From the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
The U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC), collected multibeam bathymetry data at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in August 2017. This USGS data release includes the resulting processed elevation point data (xyz) in the native format of the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84) and transformed into the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in June 2018 From Fire Island, New York
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term, coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal System Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time scales (months to centuries) and resolvingCoastal Bathymetry Data Collected in June 2018 from Fire Island, New York: Wilderness Breach and Shoreface
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, conducted a bathymetric survey of Fire Island, New York, from June 2 to 17, 2018. The U.S. Geological Survey is involved in a post-Hurricane Sandy effort to map and monitor the morphologic evolution of the wilderness breach and the adjacent shoreface environment. During this studCoastal Bathymetry Data Collected in 2016 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
The U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC), collected single-beam and swath bathymetry data at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana in June of 2016. This USGS data release includes the resulting processed elevation point data (xyz) and an interpolated digital elevation model (DEM). For further information regarding data collection and/or processing pleas - Multimedia
Secrets of the Sediment on Barrier Islands
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Undeveloped and developed phases in the centennial evolution of a barrier-marsh-lagoon system: The case of Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Barrier islands and their associated backbarrier environments protect mainland population centers and infrastructure from storm impacts, support biodiversity, and provide long-term carbon storage, among other ecosystem services. Despite their socio-economic and ecological importance, the response of coupled barrier-marsh-lagoon environments to sea-level rise is poorly understood. Undeveloped barriAuthorsChristopher Tenebruso, Shane Nichols-O'Neill, Jorge Lorenzo-Trueba, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Jennifer L. MiselisGeologic framework, anthropogenic impacts, and hydrodynamics contribute to variable sediment availability and shoreface morphology at the Rockaway Peninsula, NY
Recent field and modeling studies have shown that barrier island resiliency is sensitive to sediment fluxes from the shoreface, making it important to evaluate how shoreface sediment availability varies in coastal systems. To do this, we assessed shoreface geology and morphology along the Rockaway Peninsula, NY, USA. We find that spatial variability in shoreface volume is influenced by sediment acAuthorsEmily A. Wei, Jennifer L. MiselisShoreface and Holocene sediment thickness offshore of Rockaway Peninsula, New York
During September and October 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey mapped the shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula in New York using high-resolution chirp seismic reflection and single-beam bathymetry geophysical techniques. The results from this study are important for assessing the Quaternary evolution of the Rockaway Peninsula and determining coastal sediment avaiAuthorsEmily A. Wei, Jennifer L. Miselis, Arnell S. FordeSatellite-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 changeAuthorsJulie Bernier, Jennifer L. Miselis, Nathaniel PlantImpacts 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
AuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi YanchisQuantifying thresholds of barrier geomorphic change in a cross-shore sediment-partitioning model
Barrier coasts, including barrier islands, beach-ridge plains, and associated landforms, can assume a broad spectrum of morphologies over multi-decadal scales that reflect conditions of sediment availability, accommodation, and relative sea-level rise. However, the quantitative thresholds of these controls on barrier-system behavior remain largely unexplored, even as modern sea-level rise and anth
AuthorsDaniel J. Ciarletta, Jennifer L. Miselis, Justin L. Shawler, Christopher J. HeinApplication 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 sourceAuthorsJulie Bernier, Jennifer L. Miselis, Noreen A. Buster, James G. FlocksNatural 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 parametAuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, Jorge Lorenzo-TruebaCharacterizing storm response and recovery using the beach change envelope: Fire Island, New York
Hurricane Sandy at Fire Island, New York presented unique challenges in the quantification of storm impacts using traditional metrics of coastal change, wherein measured changes (shoreline, dune crest, and volume change) did not fully reflect the substantial changes in sediment redistribution following the storm. We used a time series of beach profile data at Fire Island, New York to define a newAuthorsOwen T. Brenner, Erika Lentz, Cheryl J. Hapke, Rachel Henderson, Kathleen Wilson, Timothy NelsonNearshore 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 useAuthorsStanley D. Locker, Jennifer L. Miselis, Noreen A. Buster, Cheryl J. Hapke, Heidi M. Wadman, Jesse E. McNinch, Arnell S. Forde, Chelsea A. StalkQuantification 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 oAuthorsNeil K. Ganju, Steven E. Suttles, Alexis Beudin, Daniel J. Nowacki, Jennifer L. Miselis, Brian D. AndrewsEvolution 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 responsAuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, Brian D. Andrews, Robert S. Nicholson, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Anthony S. NavoyIntegrating 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 tAuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, Joseph W. Long, P. Soupy Dalyander, James G. Flocks, Noreen A. Buster, Rangley C. Mickey - Web Tools
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.
- Software
Subaerial Barrier Sediment Partitioning (SBSP) Model Version 1.0
The Subaerial Barrier Sediment Partitioning (SBSP) model is a framework to simulate the morphological development of an idealized barrier coast in the cross-shore domain. The model code, built in MATLAB, consists of two scripts which must reside within the same folder when executed. The first, SBSP_InputControl.m, contains the user-defined input variables to run the simulation. The second, SBSP_Pr - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Researcher Rose Palermo receives prestigious award from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Dr. Rose Palermo was selected to receive the George “Gera” Pavlovich Panteleyev Award from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). This award is presented to a student who best exemplifies the commitment to improving the graduate education experience and graduate student life at WHOI.
Filter Total Items: 16