Fire Island, New York 1994 - 2014

Fire Island, New York is sparsely populated and regularly nourished, but has few modifications that impede natural sediment exchanges. Shoreface geomorphology reflects past periods of seaward progradation and alongshore extension resulting in a relatively sediment-rich shoreface. USGS scientists collect geologic and morphologic data from this island’s shoreface. The shoreface is an important driver of barrier island evolution, as it exchanges sediment with beaches & dunes during storms and drives the long-term response of the barrier to sea level rise.