Sediment berm along the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

Sediment berm placement in the shoreface of northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

(looking north). This berm was placed in 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to prevent oil from reaching the island and the mainland of Louisiana in this area of the coast. The sediment deposited along the shoreline was dredged from a borrow pit north of berm placement on a submerged part of the island platform. By analyzing integrated terrestrial and submerged datasets, the USGS can measure the evolution of the entire barrier system rather than individual components (back barrier, island, shoreface), thereby informing models of predicted future barrier resilience and possibly providing insight into best practices for barrier island restoration.

Learn about the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project