Historical Changes in the Mississippi-Alabama Barrier Islands and the Roles of Extreme Storms, Sea Level, and Human Activities
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HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BARRIER ISLANDS AND THE ROLES OF EXTREME STORMS, SEA LEVEL, AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES Robert A. Morton 88∞46'0"W 88∞44'0"W 88∞42'0"W 88∞40'0"W 88∞38'0"W 88∞36'0"W 88∞34'0"W 88∞32'0"W 88∞30'0"W 88∞28'0"W 88∞26'0"W 88∞24'0"W 88∞22'0"W 88∞20'0"W 88∞18'0"W 30∞18'0"N 30∞18'0"N 30∞20'0"N Horn Island 30∞20'0"N Petit Bois Island 30∞16'0"N 30∞16'0"N 30∞18'0"N 30∞18'0"N 2005 2005 1996 Dauphin Island 1996 2005 1986 1986 30∞16'0"N Kilometers 30∞14'0"N 0 1 2 3 4 5 1966 30∞16'0"N 1950 30∞14'0"N 1950 Kilometers 1917 0 1 2 3 4 5 1917 1848 1849 30∞14'0"N 30∞14'0"N 30∞12'0"N 30∞12'0"N 30∞12'0"N 30∞12'0"N 30∞10'0"N 30∞10'0"N 88∞46'0"W 88∞44'0"W 88∞42'0"W 88∞40'0"W 88∞38'0"W 88∞36'0"W 88∞34'0"W 88∞32'0"W 88∞30'0"W 88∞28'0"W 88∞26'0"W 88∞24'0"W 88∞22'0"W 88∞20'0"W 88∞18'0"W 89∞10'0"W 89∞8'0"W 89∞6'0"W 89∞4'0"W 88∞58'0"W 88∞56'0"W 88∞54'0"W 88∞52'0"W 30∞16'0"N Cat Island Ship Island 30∞16'0"N 2005 30∞14'0"N 1996 30∞14'0"N 1986 Kilometers 1966 0 1 2 3 30∞14'0"N 1950 30∞14'0"N 1917 1848 Fort 2005 Massachusetts 1995 1986 Kilometers 1966 0 1 2 3 30∞12'0"N 1950 30∞12'0"N 1917 30∞12'0"N 30∞12'0"N 1848 89∞10'0"W 89∞8'0"W 89∞6'0"W 89∞4'0"W 88∞58'0"W 88∞56'0"W 88∞54'0"W 88∞52'0"W Open-File Report 2007-1161 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BARRIER ISLANDS AND THE ROLES OF EXTREME STORMS, SEA LEVEL, AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES By Robert A. Morton U.S. Geological Survey Florida Integrated Science Center Coastal and Watershed Science Team St. Petersburg Florida 33701 U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program Open File Report 2007-1161 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1161 iii Contents SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................1 COASTAL PROCESSES AND BARRIER ISLAND SETTINGS .........................................................................................2 GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BARRIERS ...........................................................................2 HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BARRIER ISLANDS .......................................................4 Prior Geomorphic Studies ........................................................................................................................................4 Materials and Methods.............................................................................................................................................5 Morphological Changes and Rates of Change .....................................................................................................5 Dauphin Island................................................................................................................................................... 5 Petit Bois Island ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Horn Island ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Isle of Caprice.................................................................................................................................................... 7 Ship Island.......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Cat Island............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Patterns and Processes of Land Loss ....................................................................................................................9 IMPACTS OF EXTREME STORMS ON THE MISSISSIPPI-ALABAMA BARRIERS ..................................................10 Reported Impacts of 18th and Early 19th Century Storms ...................................................................................10 1851, 1852, and 1888 Hurricanes ............................................................................................................................11 1916 Hurricane .........................................................................................................................................................12 1947 and 1948 Hurricanes .......................................................................................................................................14 Hurricane Ethel (1960) .............................................................................................................................................14 Hurricane Camille (1969) .........................................................................................................................................14 Hurricane Frederic (1979) .......................................................................................................................................16 1985 Hurricanes........................................................................................................................................................17 Hurricane Danny (1997)...........................................................................................................................................17 Hurricane Georges (1998) .......................................................................................................................................17 Hurricane Ivan (2004) ..............................................................................................................................................18 Hurricane Katrina (2005) .........................................................................................................................................19 Comparisons of Extreme Storm Impacts .............................................................................................................21 HISTORY OF HUMAN MODIFICATIONS TO THE MS-AL BARRIERS ........................................................................21 Mobile Ship Channel (Mobile Bay Entrance) ......................................................................................................21 Horn Island Pass (Pascagoula Channel) .............................................................................................................22 Ship Island Pass (Gulfport Harbor) .......................................................................................................................22 Ship Island Restoration ...........................................................................................................................................22 Management of Dredged Material .......................................................................................................................23 ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS CONTROLLING BARRIER ISLAND LAND LOSS .........................................................23 PREDICTION OF FUTURE BARRIER ISLAND TRENDS ................................................................................................24 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................26 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................................................27 REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................................................28 Open-File Report 2007-1161 iv Figures Figure 1. Locations of the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands and associated tidal inlets.. ..................................................2 Figure 2. Morphological changes in Dauphin Island between 1847 and 2006. ............................................................................6 Figure 3. Morphological changes in Petit Bois Island between 1848 and 2005. ..........................................................................7 Figure 4. Morphological changes in Horn Island between 1849 and 2005. ...................................................................................8 Figure 5. Morphological changes in Ship Island between 1848 and 2005. ...................................................................................9 Figure 6. Morphological changes in Cat Island between 1848 and 2005. ...................................................................................10 Figure 7. Historical land loss trends for the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands relative to the timing of major hurricanes and human activities that impacted the islands. .............................................................................12 Figure 8. Impacts of A. Hurricanes Camille (1969), B. Frederic (1979), and C. Katrina (2005) on Dauphin Island. ................15 Figure 9. Impacts of A. Hurricanes Camille (1969), B. Ivan (2004), and C. Katrina (2005) on Petit Bois Island. .....................16 Figure 10. Inland penetration of washover sand deposited by Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi barrier islands. ........20 Tables Table