Contribution of Hurricane Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana

Contribution of Hurricane Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana PDF Author: Emily E. Denlinger
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ISBN:
Category : Gulf Coast (La.)
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Contribution of Hurrican Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana

Contribution of Hurrican Ike Storm Surge Sedimentation to Long-term Aggradation of Coastal Marshes in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana PDF Author: Emily E. Denlinger
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Gulf Coast (La.)
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Hurricane Storm Surge Sedimentation on the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Texas

Hurricane Storm Surge Sedimentation on the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Texas PDF Author: Joshua B. Hodge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coastal ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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This study uses the storm surge sediment beds deposited by Hurricanes Audrey (1957), Carla (1961), Rita (2005) and Ike (2008) to investigate spatial and temporal changes in sedimentation rates on the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Texas. Fourteen sediment cores were collected along a transect extending from 90 to 1230 meters inland from the Gulf Coast. Storm-surge-deposited sediment beds were identified by texture, organic content, carbonate content, the presence of marine microfossils, and Cesium-137 dating. The hurricane-derived sediment beds are marker horizons that facilitate assessment of marsh sedimentation rates from nearshore to inland locations as well as over decadal to annual timescales. Near the shore, on a Hurricane Ike washover fan, where hurricane-derived sedimentation has increased elevation by up to 0.68 m since 2005, there was no measurable marsh sedimentation in the period 2008-2014. Farther inland, at lower elevations, sedimentation for the period 2008-2014 averaged 0.36 cm per year. The reduction in sedimentation in the period 2008-2014 on the nearshore part of the marsh is likely due to reduced flooding in response to increased elevation from hurricane storm surge sediment deposition. These results provide valuable knowledge about the sedimentary response of coastal marshes subject to storm surge deposition and useful guidance to public policy aimed at combating the effects of sea level rise on coastal marshes along the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Storm Surge Sedimentation on East Texas Gulf Coast Marshes

Hurricane Storm Surge Sedimentation on East Texas Gulf Coast Marshes PDF Author: Joshua Brian Hodge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coastal sediments
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Hurricanes are well known for producing catastrophic devastation to both natural and human environments along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline. Hurricane Ike made landfall on the eastern tip of Galveston Island, Texas, on 13 September 2008, and the region in the right-front quadrant of the storm experienced catastrophic storm surge flooding. This study investigates spatial variations in sediment distribution on McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, which is located in the geographic region that was impacted by the right-front quadrant of Hurricane Ike. Fieldwork conducted in summer 2017 and summer 2018 involved digging shallow pits on four transects between Sabine Pass, Texas, and High Island, Texas. Eight pit sites were established on Transect 1, the easternmost transect, and six pit sites each were established on Transects 2, 3, and 4, with Transect 4 located farthest west. All four transects extend 880-1630 meters, with pit sites beginning near the coastline and extending landward. Elevations were measured at each pit site along all four transects using a telescopic level and stadia rod. Results obtained in the field indicate that the Hurricane Ike sediment deposit has been found on all four transects, and that the deposits decrease in thickness moving landward along each transect. On Transect 1, at Pit Site 1, the thickness of the Hurricane Ike deposit was 61 centimeters; this same deposit gradually tapers down to a thickness of 4 centimeters at Pit Site 8. On Transect 4, Pit Site 1 had a sediment thickness of 53 centimeters, whereas at Pit Site 6 the deposit was 5 centimeters thick. Additionally, there is evidence that sedimentation has been impacted by the presence of man-made levees that lie perpendicular to the Gulf Coast at Transects 2, 3, and 4. Furthermore, the observational results of this study were used in Regression Analyses to model hurricane storm surge sediment deposit thickness based on pit site distance inland, pit site elevation, and distance from the landfall of Hurricane Ike. Moreover, Analysis of Variance revealed whether distance inland, distance from landfall location, and the interaction between distance inland and distance from landfall location had any significant effect on storm surge deposit thickness. Actual sediment deposit thicknesses measured in the field were compared to the Regression and Analysis of Variance results. Results show that the Power Law Curve from the Regression Analyses was the most robust predictor of pit site sediment thickness based on distance inland, with an R2 value of 0.538. Additionally, the Regression and Analysis of Variance results revealed that transect distance from the landfall location of Hurricane Ike was the only independent variable that could not predict or explain storm surge deposit thickness. The goal of this study was to discover spatial variations in storm surge sedimentation in the geographic region impacted by the right-front quadrant of Hurricane Ike. The findings of this study provide improved understanding of the spatial relationship between storm surge sedimentation and storm surge heights, valuable knowledge about the sedimentary response of coastal marshes subject to storm surge deposition, and useful guidance to public policy aimed at combating the effects of sea-level rise on coastal marshes along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline.

An Open-coast Mathematical Storm Surge Model with Coastal Flooding for Louisiana

An Open-coast Mathematical Storm Surge Model with Coastal Flooding for Louisiana PDF Author: John J. Wanstrath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conformal mapping
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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An Open-coast Mathematical Storm Surge Model with Coastal Flooding for Louisiana

An Open-coast Mathematical Storm Surge Model with Coastal Flooding for Louisiana PDF Author: John J. Wanstrath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conformal mapping
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Geomorphic and Ecological Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Coastal Louisiana Marsh Communities

Geomorphic and Ecological Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Coastal Louisiana Marsh Communities PDF Author: U.S. Department of the Interior
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781495900471
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in 2005, subjecting the coastal marsh communities of Louisiana to various degrees of exposure. We collected data after the storms at 30 sites within fresh (12), brackish/intermediate (12), and saline (6) marshes to document the effects of saltwater storm surge and sedimentation on marsh community dynamics. The 30 sites were comprised of 15 pairs. Most pairs contained one site where data collection occurred historically (that is, prestorms) and one Coastwide Reference Monitoring System site.

The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects

The Impact of Hurricane Ike on the Geomorphology of Follett's Island, Texas - Short and Long Term Effects PDF Author: Craig F. Harter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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In many places along the U.S. East and Gulf Coast, barrier islands are the first line of defense against extreme weather events threatening our coastlines. Follett's Island is a sediment-starved barrier island located on the Upper Texas Coast; a stretch of coastline that experiences on average four hurricanes and four tropical cyclones per decade. As the topic of this thesis the impact of Hurricane Ike on Follett's Island (FI), TX is studied. The goal of this study is to address how Hurricane Ike affected the sediment supply on the subaerial beach and foredune of FI, how the island recovered following the hurricane, and what physical processes governed the response of the island during the hurricane. This study first outlines the collection of available hydrographic, atmospheric, aerial and survey data and provides an analysis of these data to characterize the long term metocean and geomorphological state of the island. It was found that water levels at FI during Hurricane Ike exceeded the 100 year water levels, and wave heights matched roughly the 40 year exceedance levels. From LiDAR surveys, it is clear that despite an initial sediment volume loss after the hurricane, the foredune and subaerial beach ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume (up to 25%), and an extension of the shoreline (up to 25 m) after a five year recovery period. Numerical modeling tools XBeach and CSHORE were employed in an attempt to numerically reproduce the observed effects of the hurricane on FI. The ultimate goal of the numerical modeling is to show a real time response of the island during the passing of the storm, rather than the before and after snapshots provided by LiDAR data. XBeach displayed a decent model skill of 0.34 and was very useful in qualitatively visualizing erosion and deposition patterns. CSHORE also displayed a decent model skill of 0.33 and was able to accurately predict the post-storm beach slope and shoreline, but was less effective at simulating the foredune morphology. Based on these data, the subaerial beach and foredune ultimately experienced a net gain in sediment volume after recovering from Hurricane Ike. This is a phenomenon that is contrary to the findings of other studies, and thus it is clear that sediment-starved barrier islands like FI need fundamentally different coastal protection considerations than other coastal systems. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/155506

Spatial Variability in Washover Deposits

Spatial Variability in Washover Deposits PDF Author: Daniel Stephen Aylward
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Washover sand deposits are common depositional features caused by large storms that affect coastal areas. Hurricane Ike was a powerful storm that hit the gulf coast in September of 2008, the track of the eye crossing Bolivar Peninsula in Texas. The attempt was made to exhaustively identify and map washover deposits caused by Hurricane Ike along the Texas coast to the southwest of landfall. Several transitions in the nature of the deposits are identified. The plan view distribution, the volume change, and the relationship with the antecedent topography all present changes that generally mirrors the alongshore decay of Hurricane Ike’s energy, represented by the storm surge and waves. These are put in context using the ratio, called here r, that is the maximum surge height in any given location at the beach divided by the height of the beach berm at the same location. In places where the storm surge was not high enough to overtop the beach berm, waves are assumed to have eroded the beach to the point that it allowed overwash to occur, and quantifying this contribution is a fertile avenue for future research.

Historic Sediment Accretion Rates in a Louisiana Coastal Marsh and Implications for Sustainability

Historic Sediment Accretion Rates in a Louisiana Coastal Marsh and Implications for Sustainability PDF Author: Rebekah Perkins Smith
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Marshes
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Deltaic marshes of the Mississippi River in Louisiana disappeared at a rate of 88 km2 annually from 1956 to 2000 (Barras et al. 2003) as marshes become inundated by sea water. Marsh surface elevation varies spatially and temporally due to fluvial sediment deposition, resuspension, erosion, compaction, sea level rise, and organic matter accumulation and decomposition. If net accretion from sediment deposition and/or peat production is insufficient, marshes respond to sea level rise by migrating landward. Since human development prevents landward migration of marsh in Breton Sound Basin, Louisiana, marsh sustainability can only be achieved if vertical accretion keeps pace with a relative sea level rise of 10 mm/yr so that marsh surface elevation is maintained within the tidal range. Measurement time scale and changing influences on marsh sediment were considered in an assessment of the long-term sustainability of Breton Sound marsh based on comparison of the rate of relative sea level rise to measured accretion rates. Six cores (~4 m long each) were collected in Breton Sound and a combination of three radioisotopes, as well as stratigraphic analysis were used to measure accretion rates and identify evidence of historical river effects and storms. Net accretion rates over recent short-term (decadal) and long-term (centennial/millennial) time scales were measured using 210Pb, 137Cs, and 14C dating. Long-term mean accretion based on 14C dating was highly variable (3.5 mm/yr, [sigma]=4.5). Three 210Pb rates were recovered, averaging 4.3 mm/yr ([sigma]=1.9). Accretion rates measured using 137Cs averaged 7.7 mm/yr ([sigma]=2.3). Rates of sediment accretion are ultimately insufficient to offset relative sea level rise, especially after allowing for sediment volume reduction encountered over the long term. The combined effects of reduced fluvial input, rising sea level, and prevention of landward marsh migration create an environment that is inherently unstable.