Sand is constantly exchanged between beaches, dunes, and the submerged shoreface, which includes the nearshore sand bar system. We use specialized vessels and equipment to understand the feedbacks between nearshore morphology changes and coastal change to improve predictions of future impacts.
Repeat mapping of nearshore morphology off of Fire Island since Hurricane Sandy is providing detailed information about the evolution of the submerged shoreface during the period of recovery after Sandy, and in response to seasonal changes in waves and currents. Because of shallow water depths and breaking waves, bathymetry data are collected using single-beam echosounders mounted on personal watercraft. Documenting elevated or unexpected variability in sand bar morphology along the island provides important information for coastal change models that predict what the coast will look like in 6 months to hundreds of years.
Comparing maps of the shoreface from multiple surveys allows us to quantify changes that resulted from Sandy and document subsequent changes in the years since the storm. The data show changes in the steepness of the nearshore profile and shifts in the shape and location of the shore-parallel sand bar. Mapping shifts in sand volume between the beach and the sand bar helps us to understand where sand is in the coastal system over short time scales, providing key information about storm-reponse and recovery processes.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Back-barrier and Estuarine - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Oceanside Beaches and Dunes - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Open Ocean/Marine - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Nearshore - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
- Overview
Sand is constantly exchanged between beaches, dunes, and the submerged shoreface, which includes the nearshore sand bar system. We use specialized vessels and equipment to understand the feedbacks between nearshore morphology changes and coastal change to improve predictions of future impacts.
Repeat mapping of nearshore morphology off of Fire Island since Hurricane Sandy is providing detailed information about the evolution of the submerged shoreface during the period of recovery after Sandy, and in response to seasonal changes in waves and currents. Because of shallow water depths and breaking waves, bathymetry data are collected using single-beam echosounders mounted on personal watercraft. Documenting elevated or unexpected variability in sand bar morphology along the island provides important information for coastal change models that predict what the coast will look like in 6 months to hundreds of years.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Personal watercraft were utilized to collect bathymetry in the surf zone and shore face (top left), setup on the beach (top right), instrument configuration (bottom left) and Pelican case hardware configuration (bottom right). Credit: USGS
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Island wide average cross shore profiles showing the response and recovery from pre-Hurricane Sandy October 2012 to post-Hurricane Sandy: December 2012, October 2013, and Jun 2014. Credit: Tim Nelson, USGS Comparing maps of the shoreface from multiple surveys allows us to quantify changes that resulted from Sandy and document subsequent changes in the years since the storm. The data show changes in the steepness of the nearshore profile and shifts in the shape and location of the shore-parallel sand bar. Mapping shifts in sand volume between the beach and the sand bar helps us to understand where sand is in the coastal system over short time scales, providing key information about storm-reponse and recovery processes.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is a 50-km long barrier island along the south shore of Long Island, New York. The island is comprised of seventeen year-round communities; federal, state, and county parks; and supports distinct ecosystems alongside areas of economic and cultural value. In addition to providing resources to its residents, the barrier island also protects the heavily-populated mainland from storm waves...Back-barrier and Estuarine - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Regional-scale modeling forecasts how atmospheric forcing and oceanographic circulation influence estuarine circulation and water levels, sediment transport, and wetland change.Oceanside Beaches and Dunes - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Oceanfront research at Fire Island, New York, is primarily focused on understanding the long- and short-term behavior of the ocean-facing terrestrial barrier island system, including human influences. The USGS has had ongoing research activities on Fire Island since the late 1990s, providing science to help inform management decisions. Recent efforts include monitoring the response to and recovery...Open Ocean/Marine - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Geophysical mapping and research have demonstrated that the seabed on the inner continental shelf has a variety of shapes which are linked to long-term evolution of the barrier island. Regional-scale modeling forecasts how atmospheric forcing and oceanographic circulation case sand, gravel, and other materials to be transported by tides, winds, waves, fresh water fluxes, and density variations.Nearshore - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
The nearshore is the submerged portion of the shoreface between the inner shelf and the shoreline and includes the surf zone, where waves break. Along with beaches and dunes, nearshore morphology and geology adjusts to changes in waves, sediment supply, human alterations, and sea level rise. By measuring nearshore morphologic and geologic variations, we can understand how quickly beaches and dunes... - Publications