Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York Completed
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. Sound scientific understanding of the interplay of natural processes and human activities is required to successfully manage coastal resources at Fire Island to achieve the optimum balance in benefits to public safety, the economy, and the environment. To this end, USGS coastal research utilizes an integrated approach to measure long- and short-term changes to the Fire Island barrier island system, including open ocean/marine, nearshore, barrier island, and estuarine environments.
Research
Research on the various components of the Fire Island system is being conducted at multiple USGS Centers and across projects.
Fire Island Research Activities
The USGS is engaged in a variety of research activities within the Fire Island coastal system and together these activities provide a comprehensive assessment of coastal system change and evolution at Fire Island. The activities include:
- mapping the seabed of the adjacent offshore areas to characterize geological contributions to coastal behavior;
- measuring and modeling waves, winds, and currents to understand the processes by which sediment is exchanged between marine and terrestrial coastal systems;
- establishing relationships between inner shelf geology, ocean processes, and island response;
- identifying linkages between coastal changes and natural and human-induced variations in sediment supply;
- measuring and modeling beach and dune changes resulting from long-term processes, storm impacts (including erosion, breaching) and post-storm recovery;
- quantifying the impact of geomorphic changes on circulation and water levels in Great South Bay; and
- building and integrating predictive models of long-term shoreline change, geomorphic change, and habitat suitability to improve human access and ensure sufficient habitat for threatened species.
Past and ongoing USGS research uses a combination of direct and remotely-sensed observations and numerical and statistical modeling to measure and predict the evolution of the coastal system over long (e.g., geological and historical) and short (e.g., storms to decades) time periods, including the impact of Hurricane Sandy and subsequent recovery. To date, this research has resulted in identification of inner shelf and nearshore sand resources; development of models that predict coastal response to waves and currents, impacts of inlet dredging and island breaching on bay water levels, and breach evolution; assessments and forecasts of existing and future vulnerabilities to storms and sea-level rise; and the establishment of a detailed sediment budget from the inner shelf to the shoreline. Most research activities are conducted in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and state and county agencies. Science and products from the sustained, integrated research effort at Fire Island are the basis for sound coastal management that provides protection to people and infrastructure, sustains tourism and recreation, and supports habitat resilience.
Open Ocean/Marine
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
The nearshore is the link between the inner shelf and Fire Island itself. Mapping sediment availability in the nearshore may help us understand beach recovery after storms and identify natural sources of sediment that contribute to long-term island resilience.
Oceanside Beaches and Dunes
Fire Island is a dynamic barrier island that changes in response to wind, waves, tides, sediment supply, human intervention, and sea level rise. Most of the terrestrial research focuses on historical, storm impact, and recovery time scales.
Back-Barrier and Estuarine
Regional-scale modeling forecasts how atmospheric forcing and oceanographic circulation influence estuarine circulation and water levels, sediment transport, and wetland change.
Below are other research tasks associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Hurricane Sandy washover deposits on Fire Island, New York
Decoupling processes and scales of shoreline morphodynamics
Coastal bathymetry data collected in June 2014 from Fire Island, New York—The wilderness breach and shoreface
Terrestrial-based lidar beach topography of Fire Island, New York, June 2014
Assessing the impact of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy on the morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York
Application of Bayesian Networks to hindcast barrier island morphodynamics
Quantifying the geomorphic resiliency of barrier island beaches
The effects of geomorphic changes during Hurricane Sandy on water levels in Great South Bay
Hurricane Sandy beach response and recovery at Fire Island, New York: Shoreline and beach profile data, October 2012 to October 2014
Coastal Change Processes Project data report for oceanographic observations near Fire Island, New York, February through May 2014
Ground-based lidar beach topography of Fire Island, New York, April 2013
Bathymetry of the Wilderness breach at Fire Island, New York, June 2013
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
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. Sound scientific understanding of the interplay of natural processes and human activities is required to successfully manage coastal resources at Fire Island to achieve the optimum balance in benefits to public safety, the economy, and the environment. To this end, USGS coastal research utilizes an integrated approach to measure long- and short-term changes to the Fire Island barrier island system, including open ocean/marine, nearshore, barrier island, and estuarine environments.
ResearchResearch on the various components of the Fire Island system is being conducted at multiple USGS Centers and across projects.
Fire Island Research Activities
The USGS is engaged in a variety of research activities within the Fire Island coastal system and together these activities provide a comprehensive assessment of coastal system change and evolution at Fire Island. The activities include:
- mapping the seabed of the adjacent offshore areas to characterize geological contributions to coastal behavior;
- measuring and modeling waves, winds, and currents to understand the processes by which sediment is exchanged between marine and terrestrial coastal systems;
- establishing relationships between inner shelf geology, ocean processes, and island response;
- identifying linkages between coastal changes and natural and human-induced variations in sediment supply;
- measuring and modeling beach and dune changes resulting from long-term processes, storm impacts (including erosion, breaching) and post-storm recovery;
- quantifying the impact of geomorphic changes on circulation and water levels in Great South Bay; and
- building and integrating predictive models of long-term shoreline change, geomorphic change, and habitat suitability to improve human access and ensure sufficient habitat for threatened species.
Past and ongoing USGS research uses a combination of direct and remotely-sensed observations and numerical and statistical modeling to measure and predict the evolution of the coastal system over long (e.g., geological and historical) and short (e.g., storms to decades) time periods, including the impact of Hurricane Sandy and subsequent recovery. To date, this research has resulted in identification of inner shelf and nearshore sand resources; development of models that predict coastal response to waves and currents, impacts of inlet dredging and island breaching on bay water levels, and breach evolution; assessments and forecasts of existing and future vulnerabilities to storms and sea-level rise; and the establishment of a detailed sediment budget from the inner shelf to the shoreline. Most research activities are conducted in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and state and county agencies. Science and products from the sustained, integrated research effort at Fire Island are the basis for sound coastal management that provides protection to people and infrastructure, sustains tourism and recreation, and supports habitat resilience.
Open Ocean/Marine
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
The nearshore is the link between the inner shelf and Fire Island itself. Mapping sediment availability in the nearshore may help us understand beach recovery after storms and identify natural sources of sediment that contribute to long-term island resilience.
Oceanside Beaches and Dunes
Fire Island is a dynamic barrier island that changes in response to wind, waves, tides, sediment supply, human intervention, and sea level rise. Most of the terrestrial research focuses on historical, storm impact, and recovery time scales.
Back-Barrier and Estuarine
Regional-scale modeling forecasts how atmospheric forcing and oceanographic circulation influence estuarine circulation and water levels, sediment transport, and wetland change.
- Science
Below are other research tasks associated with this project.
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 37Hurricane Sandy washover deposits on Fire Island, New York
Washover deposits on Fire Island, New York, from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 were investigated a year after the storm to document the sedimentary characteristics of hurricane washover features. Sediment data collected in the field includes stratigraphic descriptions and photos from trenches, bulk sediment samples, U-channels, and gouge and push cores. Samples and push cores were further analyzed in thAuthorsSeanPaul M. La Selle, Brent D. Lunghino, Bruce E. Jaffe, Guy Gelfenbaum, Pedro J.M. CostaDecoupling processes and scales of shoreline morphodynamics
Behavior of coastal systems on time scales ranging from single storm events to years and decades is controlled by both small-scale sediment transport processes and large-scale geologic, oceanographic, and morphologic processes. Improved understanding of coastal behavior at multiple time scales is required for refining models that predict potential erosion hazards and for coastal management planninAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, Nathaniel G. Plant, Rachel E. Henderson, William C. Schwab, Timothy R. NelsonCoastal bathymetry data collected in June 2014 from Fire Island, New York—The wilderness breach and shoreface
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, collected bathymetric data along the upper shoreface and within the wilderness breach at Fire Island, New York, in June 2014. The U.S. Geological Survey is involved in a post-Hurricane Sandy effort to map and monitor the morphologic evolution of the shoreface along Fire Island anAuthorsTimothy R. Nelson, Jennifer L. Miselis, Cheryl J. Hapke, Kathleen E. Wilson, Rachel E. Henderson, Owen T. Brenner, Billy J. Reynolds, Mark E. HansenTerrestrial-based lidar beach topography of Fire Island, New York, June 2014
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in Florida and the USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center (LMG WSC) in Montgomery, Alabama, collaborated to gather alongshore terrestrial-based lidar beach elevation data at Fire Island, New York. This high-resolution elevation dataset was collected on June 11, 2014, to characterize beach topograpAuthorsOwen T. Brenner, Cheryl J. Hapke, Kathryn G. Lee, Dustin R. KimbrowAssessing the impact of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy on the morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York
This report documents the changes in seabed morphology and modern sediment thickness detected on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York, before and after Hurricanes Irene and Sandy made landfall. Comparison of acoustic backscatter imagery, seismic-reflection profiles, and bathymetry collected in 2011 and in 2014 show that sedimentary structures and depositional patterns moveAuthorsWilliam C. Schwab, Wayne E. Baldwin, Jane F. DennyApplication of Bayesian Networks to hindcast barrier island morphodynamics
Prediction of coastal vulnerability is of increasing concern to policy makers, coastal managers and other stakeholders. Coastal regions and barrier islands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are subject to frequent, large storms, whose waves and storm surge can dramatically alter beach morphology, threaten infrastructure, and impact local economies. Given that precise forecasts of regional hazardsAuthorsKathleen E. Wilson, Peter N. Adams, Cheryl J. Hapke, Erika E. Lentz, Owen T. BrennerQuantifying the geomorphic resiliency of barrier island beaches
Hurricane Sandy had an extensive impact on the beaches along the Atlantic coast. To quantify beach recovery, and examine alongshore variations in coastal resiliency, we develop a morphometric within the upper portion of the beach that is based on observed historical storm response at Fire Island, NY. The beach change envelope (BCE) boundaries are elevation contours which capture the portion of theAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, Owen T. Brenner, Rachel E. HendersonThe effects of geomorphic changes during Hurricane Sandy on water levels in Great South Bay
Hurricane Sandy caused record coastal flooding along the south shore of Long Island, NY, and led to significant geomorphic changes. These included severe dune erosion along the length of Fire Island and the formation of the Wilderness Breach. This study attempts to use numerical models to quantify how these changes affected water levels inside Great South Bay during and after Hurricane Sandy. TheAuthorsMaarten van Ormondt, Cheryl Hapke, Dano Roelvink, Timothy R. NelsonHurricane Sandy beach response and recovery at Fire Island, New York: Shoreline and beach profile data, October 2012 to October 2014
In response to the forecasted impact of Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29, 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a substantial data-collection effort to assess the morphological impacts to the beach and dune system at Fire Island, New York. Global positioning system (GPS) field surveys of the beach and dunes were conducted just prior to and after landfall and these data weAuthorsRachel E. Hehre Henderson, Cheryl J. Hapke, Owen T. Brenner, Billy J. ReynoldsCoastal Change Processes Project data report for oceanographic observations near Fire Island, New York, February through May 2014
An oceanographic field study during February through May 2014 investigated processes that control the sediment-transport dynamics along the western part of Fire Island, New York. This report describes the project background, field program, instrumentation configuration, and locations of the sensors deployed. The data collected, including meteorological observations, are presented as time-series plAuthorsBrandy N. Armstrong, John C. Warner, Jeffrey H. List, Marinna A. Martini, Ellyn T. Montgomery, Peter A. Traykovski, George VoulgarisGround-based lidar beach topography of Fire Island, New York, April 2013
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, collaborated to gather alongshore ground-based lidar beach elevation data at Fire Island, New York. This high-resolution elevation dataset was collected on April 10, 2013, to characterize beach topography following substAuthorsOwen T. Brenner, Cheryl J. Hapke, Nicholas J. Spore, Katherine L. Brodie, Jesse E. McNinchBathymetry of the Wilderness breach at Fire Island, New York, June 2013
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, to collect shallow water bathymetric data of the Wilderness breach on Fire Island, New York, in June 2013. The breach formed in October 2012 during Hurricane Sandy, and the USGS is involvedAuthorsAndrew T. Brownell, Cheryl J. Hapke, Nicholas J. Spore, Jesse E. McNinch - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.