Geology topics

Joseph F. Terrano

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph F. Terrano.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Comparisons of shoreline positions from satellite-derived and traditional field- and remote-sensing techniques

Satellite-derived shorelines (SDS) have the potential to help researchers answer critical coastal science questions and support work to predict coastal change by filling in the spatial and temporal gaps present in current field-based and remote-sensing data collection methods. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted comparison analyses of traditionally sourced shorelines and SDS in diverse coastal landscapes to determine how SDS could be used in ongoing and future work across varied coastal environments and provided some initial findings that could be used for implementation. Using CoastSeg, a browser-based program for SDS detection and mapping, SDS for the period 1984–2023 for multiple locations across the United States were compared to shoreline positions from traditionally sourced shoreline data. In this report, the authors present these comparisons alongside lessons learned and challenges encountered when building SDS workflows in different coastal locations. Results show that individual SDS have larger uncertainty and yet produced similar linear trends to sparser, traditionally sourced shoreline data; because SDS methods provide orders of magnitude more data than traditional shoreline-detection methods, they can be used to evaluate shoreline behaviors. Refining average scalar slopes used in tidal corrections did not result in substantial decreases in uncertainty. Using lessons from this work to outline needs for regional implementation, initial setup time would be considerable, being on the order of weeks. However, once complete, shoreline detections and analyses are fast (on the order of minutes to hours) and achievable using a desktop computer.

Alaska, Florida, Massachusetts, Washington↗

USGS2025

Evaluating the influence of constructed subtidal reefs on marsh shoreline erosion, sediment deposition, and wave energy

Salt marshes play a critical role in providing economic and ecological benefits but are susceptible to shoreline erosion. Natural and nature-based features (NNBF), such as breakwater reefs, are often used to reduce shoreline exposure to wave action and provide biogenic benefits. However, waves and water level are also responsible for the sediment supply necessary for marsh accretion, a critical component of marsh resilience to sea level rise. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of two subtidal breakwater reefs on wave energy, marsh shoreline erosion, and sediment deposition onto the marsh platform. As a restoration intervention, oyster shell and limestone gravel reefs were constructed within the nearshore zone of a high-energy shoreline where active shoreline erosion is causing marsh habitat loss. Although both sediment deposition and shoreline erosion were reduced after reef installation at all sites, the reefs demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in sediment deposition, whereas its effect on decreasing shoreline erosion was less pronounced. This variability in erosion reduction may be partly influenced by the physical dimensions of the reefs, affecting wave attenuation and leeward circulation. Wave measurements indicate that the reef reduced wave energy, particularly during south and southeast winds that could lead to the largest onshore waves. Given that these strong onshore winds are seasonal, extending the duration of data collection could provide deeper insights into the reef's influence on marsh shoreline erosion. This study is novel in that there are limited experimental or observational studies quantifying the wave reduction capacity and effects of subtidal reefs on marsh shoreline erosion and sediment dynamics. Studies such as these are critical to evaluate the capacity of subtidal reefs to protect marsh shorelines from erosion, but also to measure their impact on accretion processes necessary for the marsh to maintain elevation under future sea level rise.

Mississippi↗

USGS2025

Shifts in marsh erosion, migration, and wave exposure over nearly two centuries of sea-level rise in the Gulf of Mexico

Coastal wetlands are economically important ecosystems, but are at risk to erosion from waves, storms, and sea level rise. However, marshes can persist under rising sea level through vertical accretion and migration into adjacent higher-elevation habitats. We measured rates of marsh shoreline change and migration and compared the results for historical and modern periods in a largely undeveloped and marine-dominated estuary within the Mississippi-Alabama coast of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Mean shoreline change rate for the modern (post-1957) period was higher than historical rates (pre-1957) at −1.55 ± 0.11 m yr −1 and -0.84 ± 0.07 m yr −1 , respectively. Shoreline change rates were highest in regions where exposure to wind-driven waves increased due to barrier island migration and land loss. Marsh migration (modern 1.25 ± 0.37 m yr −1 and historical 1.01 ± 0.13 m yr −1 ) occurred at similar rates as shoreline erosion except for the highest erosive shorelines, leading to an overall 15% marsh loss. Upland-to-marsh conversion occurred in forested areas and may have been encouraged by changes in management practices. In the Grand Bay estuary, our data show that marsh migration is not occurring at sufficient rates to compensate for marsh loss, resulting in overall loss in marsh habitat. Overall, migration may allow marsh to persist under rising sea levels but can lead to an overall reduction in forested or freshwater habitats if steep slopes or other barriers prevent their migration.

Alabama, Mississippi↗

USGS2021

Coastal wetland shoreline change monitoring: A comparison of shorelines from high-resolution WorldView satellite imagery, aerial imagery, and field surveys

Shoreline change analysis is an important environmental monitoring tool for evaluating coastal exposure to erosion hazards, particularly for vulnerable habitats such as coastal wetlands where habitat loss is problematic world-wide. The increasing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery and emerging developments in analysis techniques support the implementation of these data into shoreline monitoring. Geospatial shoreline data created from a semi-automated methodology using WorldView (WV) satellite data between 2013 and 2020 were compared to contemporaneous field-surveyed Global Position System (GPS) data. WV-derived shorelines were found to have a mean difference of 2 ± 0.08 m of GPS data, but accuracy decreased at high-wave energy shorelines that were unvegetated, bordered by sandy beach or semi-submergent sand bars. Shoreline change rates calculated from WV imagery were comparable to those calculated from GPS surveys and geospatial data derived from aerial remote sensing but tended to overestimate shoreline erosion at highly erosive locations (greater than 2 m yr −1 ). High-resolution satellite imagery can increase the spatial scale-range of shoreline change monitoring, provide rapid response to estimate impacts of coastal erosion, and reduce cost of labor-intensive practices.

Remote Sensing↗

USGS2021

Lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment deposition on a coastal marsh from seasonal, storm and decadal measurements

The persistence of coastal marsh is dependent on its ability to maintain elevation relative to sea level, particularly for marshes experiencing high rates of shoreline erosion due to wave-attack, storms, and sea level rise. Sediments eroded at the marsh edge are either delivered onto the marsh platform or into the estuary, the latter resulting in a net loss of marsh sediments and soil carbon. Knowledge on the timing, pattern, and quantity of sediment deposition versus shoreline erosion along the marsh-estuary interface is critical for evaluating the overall health and vulnerability of coastal marshes to future scenarios of sea level rise and for estimating sediment budgets . Here we examined marsh shoreline erosion and sediment deposition for marsh sites experiencing a range of shoreline erosion rates and different levels of wind-wave exposure within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi. We developed a method for calculating an erosion-deposition sediment budget using marsh elevation profiles, shoreline erosion rate, and sediment deposition measurements. Sediment budgets were calculated at four sites with varying shoreline erosion rates. Much of the sediment eroded at the marsh edge can be accounted for as marsh platform deposition, except at the most erosive site, suggesting a possible erosion threshold where eroded sediment mass is greater than platform deposition. Consistent with other studies of marsh creeks, sediment delivery to the marsh platform appears to be largely driven by wave climate. These data suggest that for erosive bay-estuarine shorelines, sediment delivered into the marsh is largely concentrated near the marsh shoreline, although shoreline erosion does not always result in a net loss of sediments from the marsh system in either decadal or annual assessments.

Mississippi↗

USGS2016

Analysis of seafloor change at Breton Island, Gosier Shoals, and surrounding waters, 1869–2014, Breton National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Characterizing bathymetric change in coastal environments is an important component in understanding shoreline evolution, especially along barrier island platforms. Bathymetric change is a function of the regional sediment budget, long-term wave and current patterns, and episodic impact from high-energy events such as storms. Human modifications may also cause changes in seafloor elevation. This study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, evaluates bathymetric and volumetric change and sediment characteristics around Breton Island and Gosier Shoals located offshore of the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana. This area has been affected by significant storm events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Sedimentation patterns at Breton Island and offshore have also been modified by the excavation of a shipping channel north of the island. Four time periods are considered that encompass these episodes and include long-term change and short-term storm recovery: 1869–2014, 1869–1920, 1920–2014, and 2007–2014. Finally, sediment characteristics are reported in the context of seafloor elevation.

Louisana↗

USGS2016

Analysis of shoreline and geomorphic change for Breton Island, Louisiana, from 1869 to 2014

Many barrier islands in the United States are eroding and losing elevation substantively because of storm surge, waves, and sea-level changes. This is particularly true for the deltaic barrier system in Louisiana. Breton Island is near the mouth of the Mississippi River at the southern end of the Chandeleur barrier island chain in southeast Louisiana. This report expands on previous geomorphic studies of Breton Island by incorporating additional historic and recent datasets. Multiple analyses focus on longand short-term shoreline change, as well as episodic events and anthropogenic modification. Analyses periods include long term (1869–2014), long-term historic (1869–1950), post-Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (1950–2014), pre/post-Hurricane Katrina (2004–5), and recent (2005–14). In addition to shoreline change, barrier island geomorphology is evaluated using island area, elevation, and sediment volume change. In the long term (1869–2014), Breton Island was affected by landward transgression, island narrowing, and elevation loss. Major storm events exacerbated the long-term trends. In the recent period (2005–14), Breton Island eroded at a slower rate than in the long-term and gained area and total sediment volume. The recent accretion is likely because of the lack of major storms since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Louisiana↗

USGS2015

Land-cover types, shoreline positions, and sand extents derived From Landsat satellite imagery, Assateague Island to Metompkin Island, Maryland and Virginia, 1984 to 2014

The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of responding to and documenting the impacts of storms along the Nation’s coasts and incorporating these data into storm impact and coastal change vulnerability assessments. These studies, however, have traditionally focused on sandy shorelines and sandy barrier-island systems, without consideration of impacts to coastal wetlands. The goal of the Barrier Island and Estuarine Wetland Physical Change Assessment project is to integrate a wetland-change assessment with existing coastal-change assessments for the adjacent sandy dunes and beaches, initially focusing on Assateague Island along the Maryland and Virginia coastline. Assateague Island was impacted by waves and storm surge associated with the passage of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, including erosion and overwash along the ocean-facing sandy shoreline as well as erosion and overwash deposition in the back-barrier and estuarine bay environments. This report serves as an archive of data that were derived from Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 imagery from 1984 to 2014, including wetland and terrestrial habitat extents; open-ocean, back-barrier, and estuarine mainland shoreline positions; and sand-line positions along the estuarine mainland and barrier shorelines from Assateague Island, Maryland to Metompkin Island, Virginia. The geographic information system data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata can be downloaded from the Data Downloads page.

Maryland, Virginia↗