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Rate of Post-Hurricane Barrier Island Recovery A RATE OF POST-HURRICANE BARRIER ISLAND RECOVERY A Thesis by BRIANNA MARIE JOSEPH HAMMOND Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Chris Houser Committee Members, Michael Bishop Rick Giardino Head of Department, David Cairns August 2015 Major Subject: Geography Copyright 2015 Brianna Marie Joseph Hammond ABSTRACT Barrier island foredunes are key indicators of the rate of island transgression, in which small dunes exhibit rapid transgression through washover and breaching, and large dunes exhibit controlled transgression in response to sea level rise. Recent evidence suggests that the largest foredunes at Santa Rosa Island, Florida and Galveston Island, Texas exhibit sigmoidal recovery patterns over an approximately 10 year time period, and that high and low islands vary alongshore in a pattern that is reinforced if there is a sufficient recovery period. This study examines the resiliency of Assateague Island National Seashore, MD through its ability to return to its pre-storm condition following a hurricane. The primary hypothesis of this study is that the rate of recovery of each examined parameter at ASIS will exhibit a sigmoidal pattern as seen at Santa Rosa Island, and that recovery rates will vary alongshore due to high and low island areas. Foredune elevation data from 2000 and 2005 was compared and categorized into recovery periods based on the temporal difference between impactful storm surges and the 2005 elevation data. Morphometric parameters including dune crest, height, volume, and toe were extracted and used to characterize recovery. Logistic curves were modified to represent the growth patterns of each parameter and recovery was examined with respect to high and low island sections. The rates of recovery from this study were compared with the results of a previous at Santa Rosa Island, FL. Results from this study support recovery patterns identified in previous studies. Evidence also suggests that low ii dunes at Assateague Island cease to recover and that there is a limit to the growth of the smallest dunes. Land managers can use this knowledge as a resource in the preparation for and response to hurricanes, specifically as it relates to varying levels of vulnerability alongshore. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Steve and Charlotte Hammond, who pushed me to pursue a graduate degree and supported me during my time at Texas A&M University. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Chris Houser, for the incredible opportunities for my development of skills and knowledge provided to me during my time at Texas A&M University. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Bishop and Dr. Giardino, for their time and feedback throughout the course of this research. Special thanks to Dr. Cheryl Hapke, an ex officio committee member, for her guidance and support over the past year. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my friends and colleagues, and to the department faculty and staff for making my time at Texas A&M University a great experience. I especially would like to thank my coastal geomorphology research cluster peers, Sarah Trimble, Phil Wernette, Brad Weymer, Patrick Barrineau, Peggy Flores, and Tess Rentschlar. I also want to extend my gratitude to my primary support team and best friends, Shelby Young, Luci Pounders, and Jamie Turner. Thanks also go to my NSBE family, especially the 2012-2013 Region II Executive Board members. Finally, special thanks to my parents and sister for their encouragement and inspiration, to my grandparents for their support, and to my fiancé for his optimism, patience, and love. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND, AND STUDY SITE ...................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Background ................................................................................................................ 4 Identification of Study Site ...................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 26 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 26 Acquisition of Imagery ............................................................................................. 26 Pre-Processing .......................................................................................................... 27 Casting Transects with DSAS .................................................................................. 30 Dune Extraction and Analysis .................................................................................. 30 Dune Classification and Recovery ........................................................................... 32 CHAPTER III RESULTS ................................................................................................ 38 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 38 Changes in Parameters ............................................................................................. 38 Ensemble Averaging ................................................................................................ 43 Alongshore Variability ............................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER IV DISCUSSION .......................................................................................... 55 Profile Recovery ....................................................................................................... 62 Alongshore Variability ............................................................................................. 67 vi Implications and Future Work .................................................................................. 69 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 72 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 74 vii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Example sediment budget along a barrier island chain in North Carolina, retrieved from Pierce (1968) ............................................................................... 5 Figure 2 Logistic recovery curve results from Houser et al. (2015) with data points from Morton et al. (1994) and Priestas and Fagherazzi (2010). ......................... 9 Figure 3 Dune-beach-bar relationship of sediment transport obtained from Psuty (2004). ............................................................................................................... 10 Figure 4 Equilibrium (ball and cup) diagram representing high and low island states as it relates to a threshold (Houser et al. 2015). ................................................ 12 Figure 5 Four stages of recovery, obtained from Morton et al. (1994). Stage 4 can take 10 years or more to occur after a storm event. .......................................... 15 Figure 6 Map of Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) study site with the 2010 elevation dataset overlaid. ASIS is a barrier island off the coast of southern Maryland. The blue triangle north of ASIS represents Ocean City, MD. ........ 19 Figure 7 Wind direction data for Assateague Island (WindFinder 2015). ....................... 22 Figure 8 Re-projected elevation datasets for years 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2010 collected from NOAA's Digital Coast. ............................................................. 28 Figure 9 Transects cast from offshore via DSAS tool. While each transect was the same for each year alongshore, datasets varied in island width. ...................... 31 Figure 10 Sample profile from 2005 dataset showing parameter definitions dune toe, dune height, and dune crest (left to right). The dashed line and red arrow represent the extraction method of dune toe. .................................................... 32 Figure 11 Extracted dune toe and dune crest elevation on ASIS in 2000. Storm surges shown are associated with all storms between 2000 and 2005, affecting the recovery period of each transect. ...................................................................... 35 Figure 12 Extracted dune toe and dune crest elevation on ASIS in 2005. Storm surges shown are associated with the single storm occurring between the 2005 and 2008 datasets, affecting the recovery period of each transect. ........................
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