Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2007 Using Hurricane Ivan as a modern analog in paleotempestology: lake sediment studies and environmental analysis in Gulf Shores, Alabama Thomas Bianchette Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Bianchette, Thomas, "Using Hurricane Ivan as a modern analog in paleotempestology: lake sediment studies and environmental analysis in Gulf Shores, Alabama" (2007). LSU Master's Theses. 3312. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3312 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. USING HURRICANE IVAN AS A MODERN ANALOG IN PALEOTEMPESTOLOGY: LAKE SEDIMENT STUDIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS IN GULF SHORES, ALABAMA A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Thomas Bianchette B.S., Western Michigan University, 2005 August 2007 Acknowledgements There are many, many people to whom I am completely indebted for the help and support needed to receive this degree. I would like to begin with my loving family which has been a tremendous support system throughout the years. They were sad to see me leave the Wolverine State, but they prodded me to follow my heart and trust my gut. I love you all! Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Kam-biu Liu for his tremendous help with this degree. His door was always open, and he has always been a trusted and reliable leader. I would also like to thank him for giving me the opportunity to study at Louisiana State University, the place I had my heart set on all along, over certainly many comparable applicants. This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (DEB-0213884; BCS-0612477) and the Risk Prediction Initiative (RPI) of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, of which Dr. Liu was the principal investigator (P.I.). Special thanks also go to Dr. Nina Lam and Dr. Robert Rohli, the other members of my thesis committee, for their advice and support. In addition, I would like to thank all of the members of the Global Change and Coastal Paleoecology lab. That includes Jason Knowles, Jennifer Hathorn, Terry McCloskey, Larry Kiage, Jon Breaux, and Yun Huang. All of these members were an unbelievable help through the thesis process, whether aiding in data analysis, or making me smile and laugh when I was stressed out. All of them possess distinctive specialties and strengths, making this lab a truly unique working and learning environment, and I respect and admire everyone mentioned due to their own intrinsic qualities. A special thanks also goes to the Department of Geography and Anthropology, for awarding me the R.J. Russell Field Research Grant, aiding in the finances of traveling to Gulf Shores, purchasing accessories, etc. ii I cannot forget about the other professionals and graduate students at LSU who spent time on this project, and I would like to send them my deepest appreciations. This includes Dr. Brian Marx (Experimental Statistics), Ryan Langlois (graduate student – Experimental Statistics), Amit Kulkarni (graduate student – Geography), Chris Pennington (graduate student – Geography), Mr. Dewitt Braud (Geography), and Dr. Bill Platt (Biological Sciences). Dr. Greg Veeck (Western Michigan University) introduced me to the idea of entering the graduate department at LSU (his first love), and I thank him for that. Additionally, I will never forget my very first geography class at the ‘lowly’ community college level with Mr. Andrew Huddy, another truly inspirational individual. Finally, I thank everyone at Gulf State Park, Alabama, particularly Ms. Kelly Reetz, and Scott Phipps at Weeks Bay Natural Estuarine Research Reserve, for their logistical support. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. vii Abstract......................................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review.................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Hurricanes ......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.1 Hurricane Formation.................................................................................................. 3 2.1.2 Hurricane Characteristics........................................................................................... 4 2.2 Paleotempestology ............................................................................................................ 5 2.2.1 Case Studies............................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Oceanic Interactions........................................................................................................ 13 2.4 Geomorphic Effects ........................................................................................................ 15 2.5 Impacts on Vegetation .................................................................................................... 17 2.5.1 Wind Damage .......................................................................................................... 17 2.5.2 Flooding and Water Damage ................................................................................... 21 2.5.3 Recovery .................................................................................................................. 21 2.5.4 Case Studies............................................................................................................. 25 Chapter 3: Gulf Shores Hurricane Activity ......................................................................... 28 3.1 Hurricane Ivan ................................................................................................................ 28 3.2 Past Regional Hurricane Activity ................................................................................... 30 Chapter 4: Survey of Tree Mortality Patterns..................................................................... 35 4.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Statistical Methods.......................................................................................................... 39 4.3 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................... 41 4.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 5: Remote Sensing.................................................................................................... 49 5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 49 5.1.1 Landsat 5 Images ..................................................................................................... 50 5.1.2 Vegetation Indices ................................................................................................... 50 5.1.3 Land Cover Classification........................................................................................ 51 5.1.4 Tasseled Cap Transformation .................................................................................. 52 5.1.5 Accuracy Assessment .............................................................................................. 53 5.1.6 Research Question ................................................................................................... 55 5.2 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 55 5.3 Results and Discussion (Pre-hurricane) .......................................................................... 61 iv 5.3.1 NDVI........................................................................................................................ 61 5.3.2 Tasseled Cap Transformation .................................................................................. 62 5.3.3 Land Cover Classification........................................................................................ 62 5.3.4 Accuracy Assessment .............................................................................................. 66 5.4 Results and Discussion (Post-hurricane) ......................................................................