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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
USGS2018

A framework for modeling scenario-based barrier island storm impacts

Methods for investigating the vulnerability of existing or proposed coastal features to storm impacts often rely on simplified parametric models or one-dimensional process-based modeling studies that focus on changes to a profile across a dune or barrier island. These simple studies tend to neglect the impacts to curvilinear or alongshore varying island planforms, influence of non-uniform nearshore hydrodynamics and sediment transport, irregular morphology of the offshore bathymetry, and impacts from low magnitude wave events (e.g. cold fronts). Presented here is a framework for simulating regionally specific, low and high magnitude scenario-based storm impacts to assess the alongshore variable vulnerabilities of a coastal feature. Storm scenarios based on historic hydrodynamic conditions were derived and simulated using the process-based morphologic evolution model XBeach. Model results show that the scenarios predicted similar patterns of erosion and overwash when compared to observed qualitative morphologic changes from recent storm events that were not included in the dataset used to build the scenarios. The framework model simulations were capable of predicting specific areas of vulnerability in the existing feature and the results illustrate how this storm vulnerability simulation framework could be used as a tool to help inform the decision-making process for scientists, engineers, and stakeholders involved in coastal zone management or restoration projects.

Chandeleur Islands↗
USGS2019

Marshes are the new beaches: Integrating sediment transport into restoration planning

Recent coastal storms and associated recovery efforts have led to increased investment in nature-based coastal protection, including restoration of salt marshes and construction of living shorelines. In particular, many of these efforts focus on increasing vertical elevation through sediment nourishment, where sediment is removed from the tidal channel and placed on the marsh plain, or preventing lateral erosion through shoreline protection. In the USA alone, millions of dollars have been allocated or spent on these coastal protection solutions over the last few decades because of their perceived sustainability and ecologically positive co-benefits including habitat provision and carbon sequestration. These projects would benefit from integration of sediment transport pathways, budgets, and metrics during planning and modeling of restoration outcomes, in order to evaluate sustainability before investment. This is analogous to the decades of experience with coastal management and engineering on the open coast. Salt marshes are geomorphic features that rely partially on external sediment supply to maintain their network of tidal channels, intertidal flats, and marsh plain. Removing sediment from one component of the overall system to nourish another component may be counterproductive, given that the net sediment budget is unchanged. For example, dredging a tidal channel beyond its equilibrium condition will cause it to fill with sediment from the tidal flat or elsewhere in the system. This may cause slumping of the marsh edge, or over-deepening of other sections of the channel to compensate. Similarly, shoreline protection that prevents edge erosion hampers the marsh plain’s ability to accrete on the levee and naturally transgress landward or it starves other components of the system of regularly supplied sediment. A limited vertical or lateral-only perspective, instead of a three-dimensional perspective, during project planning and evaluation may lead to suboptimal decision-making regarding restoration priorities, approaches, and outcomes. I contend that before significant investments are made in marsh restoration through sediment nourishment or shoreline protection, sediment transport measurements and models that consider sediment dynamics should be integrated into the early phases of restoration planning. This will help identify where and under what conditions marsh restoration will most likely be successful and economically justified. Triaging and prioritizing is then possible, which is a sustainable approach for restoration, given the persistent vulnerability of marshes to sea-level rise, storms, and sediment deficits.

Estuaries and Coasts↗
USGS2018

Geospatial data for developing nutrient SPARROW models for the Midcontinental region of Canada and the United States

Through the International Watersheds Initiative of the International Joint Commission (IJC), the SpatiallyReferenced Regressions on Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is being applied to the Great Lakes, Rainy River – Lake of the Woods and Red-Assiniboine basins. The objective of this binational application of the SPARROW model is to better understand and quantify the sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) that contribute to regional water-quality issues like algal blooms and eutrophication in Lake Erie and other parts of the Great Lakes, as well as Lake of the Woods. Led by the IJC, a team of researchers from the National Research Council of Canada – Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre, USGS, and IJC are extending the SPARROW modelling work previously completed for the Red-Assiniboine basin and the U.S. portions of the Great Lakes, Ohio, Upper Mississippi, and Souris-Red-Rainy river basins to cover all of the Great Lakes, Rainy River – Lake of the Woods and RedAssiniboine basins. The current effort is termed the Midcontinent SPARROW modelling study. This report describes the data used to develop the Midcontinent SPARROW models, specifically the sources of original data, assembling the data, and the processing and harmonization required between the U.S. and Canada data needed to produce these models. Details provided include the: development of a digital stream network and related catchments – most significantly in the Canadian regions of the Great Lakes and Rainy River – Lake of the Woods basins where these data were not available to create a seamless binational network across the model domain; calculation of variables to aid in the determination of in-stream and in-reservoir decay of P and N; quantification of Canadian diversions within the Midcontinental region (i.e., Lake St. Joseph, Long Lake and the Ogoki Reservoir); development of binational input nutrient sources considered for model development (i.e., land cover, inorganic farm fertilizer, manure, atmospheric deposition, point-source pollution from wastewatertreatment plants and contribution from non-modelled watersheds); and development of delivery variables considered to be most predominant (i.e., temperature, precipitation and ensuing runoff, soil permeability and clay content, slope of the catchments, and tile drainage). The majority of the geospatial data collection and processing was required for Canadian datasets because many of the U.S. datasets were already assembled for previous SPARROW model applications in the U.S. The task of harmonizing data between the U.S. and Canada was important to ensure consistency of the datasets used in the models. The harmonized digital stream network, delineated catchments and input data for each catchment (i.e., source and delivery variables), created for the Midcontinent SPARROW models, are available for download at url: https://doi.org/10.4224/300.0001.

Technical Report↗
USGS2024

Patterns of marsh surface accretion rates along salinity and hydroperiod gradients between active and inactive coastal deltaic floodplains

High subsidence rates are inherent to coastal deltas worldwide, contributing to rapid rates of relative sea-level rise and compromising the sustainability of coastal wetlands. Different parts of river deltas, however, experience accretion or erosion, depending on the coupling between ecological and morphological processes. Wetland expansion occurs in active deltaic coastal basins that are connected to riverine sedimentation. In contrast, wetland degradation occurs in inactive deltaic coastal basins where river engineering strategies associated with flood control restrict river connectivity. Here, we investigated the relative role of inorganic and organic loading to marsh accretion rates spanning fresh to brackish to saline zones between active and inactive coastal deltaic floodplains of the Mississippi River Delta. Marsh surface accretion rates monitored over 36 months using the feldspar marker horizon technique ranged from 1.24 ± 0.35 cm yr −1 in the freshwater marsh to 2.94 ± 0.51 cm yr −1 in the saline marsh in the inactive coastal basin compared to an opposite trend in the active coastal basin with a low vertical accretion rate in the saline site at 1.12 ± 0.17 cm yr −1 and higher accretion values at the freshwater site (2.14 ± 0.49 cm yr −1 ). Our results suggest that saline marshes have high resilience identified by high vertical accretion rates exceeding those of river-dominated freshwater marshes in active deltaic floodplains. Overall, the marsh surface accretionary patterns detected in this study underscores the relative contribution of organic and inorganic sediments to elevation capital across salinity gradients between active and inactive basins in coastal Louisiana with particular interest to river management and restoration strategies. These findings, however, are applicable to coastal deltaic floodplains elsewhere given the repetition geomorphic forcings (e.g., relative contribution of riverine, tidal and wave power) and coastal typologies worldwide.

Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science↗
USGS2024

The use of conceptual ecological models to identify critical data and uncertainties to support numerical modeling: The northern Gulf of Mexico eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica example

Objective Increasing reliance on numerical simulation models to help inform management and restoration choices benefits from careful consideration of critical early steps in model development. Along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica fulfills important ecological and economic roles. Using the eastern oyster as an example, we draw on several recent frameworks outlining best practices for model development and application for restoration, conservation, and management. Methods We identify priority model questions, outline a conceptual ecological model (CEM) to guide numerical model development, and use this framework to identify uncertainties and research needs. Result The CEM uses a nested design, identifying explicit vital rates, processes, attributes, and outcomes for the species (oysters), population, and metapopulation (i.e., network of populations) levels in response to drivers of species, population, and metapopulation changes and changing environmental factors. Most management actions related to oyster restoration and harvest affect population attributes directly, but many coastal management actions and changes (i.e., climate change and coastal and water resource engineering) impact environmental factors that alter vital rates and attributes of oysters, populations, and metapopulations. Conclusion Investment in studies targeting individual oyster‐ and population‐level multi‐stressor responses (filtration, respiration, growth, and reproduction) and improving hydrodynamic and environmental models targeting drivers that influence metapopulation vital rates and attributes (i.e., connectivity and substrate persistence) would contribute to reducing uncertainties. Development of numerical models covering the entire oyster life cycle and connectivity of populations using hydrodynamic models of current and predicted conditions to provide key abiotic and biotic factors influencing larval movement, recruitment, and on‐reef oyster vital rates would assist in balancing the goals of conservation, restoration, and fisheries management of this foundational estuarine species.

Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management↗
USGS2007

Characterization of nutrient, organic carbon, and sediment loads and concentrations from the Mississippi River into the northern Gulf of Mexico

We synthesize and update the science supporting the Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2001) with a focus on the spatial and temporal discharge and patterns of nutrient and organic carbon delivery to the northern Gulf of Mexico, including data through 2006. The discharge of the Mississippi River watershed over 200 years varies but is not demonstrably increasing or decreasing. About 30% of the Mississippi River was shunted westward to form the Atchafalaya River, which redistributed water and nutrient loads on the shelf. Data on nitrogen concentrations from the early 1900s demonstrate that the seasonal and annual concentrations in the lower river have increased considerably since then, including a higher spring loading, following the increase in fertilizer applications after World War II . The loading of total nitrogen (TN) fell from 1990 to 2006, but the loading of total phosphorus (TP) has risen slightly, resulting in a decline in the TN:TP ratios. The present TN:TP ratios hover around an average indicative of potential nitrogen limitation on phytoplankton growth, or balanced growth limitation, but not phosphorus limitation. The dissolved nitrogen:dissolved silicate ratios are near the Redfield ratio indicative of growth limitations on diatoms. Although nutrient concentrations are relatively high compared to those in many other large rivers, the water quality in the Mississippi River is not unique in that nutrient loads can be described by a variety of land-use models. There is no net removal of nitrogen from water flowing through the Atchafalaya basin, but the concentrations of TP and suspended sediments are lower at the exit point (Morgan City, Louisiana) than in the water entering the Atchafalaya basin. The removal of nutrients entering offshore waters through diversion of river water into wetlands is presently less than 1% of the total loadings going directly offshore, and would be less than 8% if the 10,093 km 2 of coastal wetlands were successfully engineered for that purpose. Wetland loss is an insignificant contribution to the carbon loading offshore, compared to in situ marine production. The science-based conclusions in the Action Plan about nutrient loads and sources to the hypoxic zone off Louisiana are sustained by research and monitoring occurring in the subsequent 10 years.

Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River↗
USGS2015

The influence of grain size, grain color, and suspended-sediment concentration on light attenuation: why fine-grained terrestrial sediment is bad for coral reef ecosystems

Sediment has been shown to be a major stressor to coral reefs globally. Although many researchers have tested the impact of sedimentation on coral reef ecosystems in both the laboratory and the field and some have measured the impact of suspended sediment on the photosynthetic response of corals, there has yet to be a detailed investigation on how properties of the sediment itself can affect light availability for photosynthesis. We show that finer-grained and darker-colored sediment at higher suspended-sediment concentrations attenuates photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) significantly more than coarser, lighter-colored sediment at lower concentrations and provide PAR attenuation coefficients for various grain sizes, colors, and suspended-sediment concentrations that are needed for biophysical modeling. Because finer-grained sediment particles settle more slowly and are more susceptible to resuspension, they remain in the water column longer, thus causing greater net impact by reducing light essential for photosynthesis over a greater duration. This indicates that coral reef monitoring studies investigating sediment impacts should concentrate on measuring fine-grained lateritic and volcanic soils, as opposed to coarser-grained siliceous and carbonate sediment. Similarly, coastal restoration efforts and engineering solutions addressing long-term coral reef ecosystem health should focus on preferentially retaining those fine-grained soils rather than coarse silt and sand particles.

Coral Reefs↗
USGS2013

Assessing factors affecting the thermal properties of a passive thermal refuge using three-dimensional hydrodynamic flow and transport modeling

Everglades restoration activities may cause changes to temperature and salinity stratification at the Port of the Islands (POI) marina, which could affect its suitability as a cold weather refuge for manatees. To better understand how the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) may alter this important resource in Collier County in southwestern Florida, the USGS has developed a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model for the marina and canal system at POI. Empirical data suggest that manatees aggregate at the site during winter because of thermal inversions that provide warmer water near the bottom that appears to only occur in the presence of salinity stratification. To study these phenomena, the environmental fluid dynamics code simulator was used to represent temperature and salinity transport within POI. Boundary inputs were generated using a larger two-dimensional model constructed with the flow and transport in a linked overland-aquifer density-dependent system simulator. Model results for a representative winter period match observed trends in salinity and temperature fluctuations and produce temperature inversions similar to observed values. Modified boundary conditions, representing proposed PSRP alterations, were also tested to examine the possible effect on the salinity stratification and temperature inversion within POI. Results show that during some periods, salinity stratification is reduced resulting in a subsequent reduction in temperature inversion compared with the existing conditions simulation. This may have an effect on POI’s suitability as a passive thermal refuge for manatees and other temperature-sensitive species. Additional testing was completed to determine the important physical relationships affecting POI’s suitability as a refuge.

Florida↗
USGS2001

Low-Level Volatile Organic Compounds in Active Public Supply Wells as Ground-Water Tracers in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin, California, 2000

Data were collected to evaluate the use of low-level volatile organic compounds (VOC) to assess the vulnerability of public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin. Samples of untreated ground water from 178 active public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin show that VOCs were detected in 61 percent of the ground-water samples; most of these detections were low, with only 29 percent above 1 mg/L (microgram per liter). Thirty-nine of the 86 VOCs analyzed were detected in at least one sample, and 11 VOCs were detected in 7 percent or more of the samples. The six most frequently detected VOCs were trichloromethane (chloroform) (46 percent); trichloroethene (TCE) (28 percent); tetrachloro-ethene (PCE) (19 percent); methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) (14 percent); 1,1-dichloroethane (11 percent); and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) (11 percent). These VOCs were also the most frequently detected VOCs in ground water representative of a wide range of hydrologically conditions in urban areas nationwide. Only two VOCs (TCE and PCE) exceeded state and federal primary maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for drinking water in a total of seven samples. Because samples were collected prior to water treatment, sample concentrations do not represent the concentrations entering the drinking-water system.Ground water containing VOCs may be considered to be a tracer of postindustrial-aged water-water that was recharged after the onset of intense urban development. The overall distribution of VOC detections is related to the hydrological and the engineered recharge facilities in the Coastal Los Angeles Basin and the Coastal Santa Ana Basin that comprise the Los Angeles physiographic basin. Most of the ground-water recharge occurs at engineered recharge facilities in the generally coarse-grained northeastern parts of the study area (forebay areas). Ground-water recharge from the land surface is minimal in the southwestern part of the basins, distal from the recharge facilities, where clay layers impede the vertical migration of ground water (pressure areas).VOCs are not uniformly distributed over the study area. Most of the wells with multiple VOC detections, which also have the highest concentrations, are in the forebay areas and are clustered proximal to the recharge facilities. In addition, the number of VOC detections and VOC concentrations decrease beyond about 10-15 kilometers from the recharge facilities. The distribution of individual VOCs is also related to their history of use. MTBE traces ground water recharged during about the last decade and is detected almost exclusively in the forebay areas. Chloroform, which has been used since the 1920s, is more widely distributed and is detected at the greatest distances from the recharge facilities.Downward migration of VOCs from the land surface may be a viable process for VOCs to reach aquifers in parts of the forebay areas, but there is little indication that the same process is active in the pressure area. The lack of contrast in the number of VOC detections between wells of different depths over most of the study area suggests that the downward migration from the land surface is not a dominant pathway for VOCs to travel to the capture zones of public supply wells. Isolated occurrences of multiple VOC detections and high concentrations of VOCs in individual wells may indicate rapid vertical transport from a localized source. Stable isotope data indicate that ground water containing VOCs is a mixture of local precipitation and runoff with water that is isotopically lighter (more negative) than the local sources. The isotopically lighter water could either be Colorado River water or State Water Project water, both of which are imported to the basin and used as a source of recharge to the ground-water flow system. The stable isotope data support the interpretation that VOCs in ground water are associated with the engineered recharge facilities.Two of the most frequently detecte

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2021

Rigorously valuing the impact of projected coral reef degradation on coastal hazard risk in Florida

The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards. In the United States, the physical protective services provided by coral reefs were recently assessed, in social and economic terms, with the annual protection provided by U.S. coral reefs off the coast of the State of Florida estimated to be more than 5,600 people and $675 million (2010 U.S. dollars). Degradation of coral reef ecosystems over the past several decades and during tropical storm events has caused regional-scale erosion of the shallow seafloor that serves as a protective barrier against coastal hazards along Southeast Florida, increasing risks to coastal populations. Here we combine engineering, ecologic, geospatial, social, and economic data and tools to provide a rigorous valuation of the increased hazard faced by Florida’s reef-fronted coastal communities because of the projected degradation of its adjacent coral reefs. We followed risk-based valuation approaches to map flood zones at 10-square-meter resolution along all 430 kilometers of Florida’s reef-lined shorelines for both the current and projected future coral reef conditions. We quantified the coastal flood risk increase caused by coral reef degradation using the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Bureau of Economic Analysis for return-interval storm events. Using the damages associated with each storm probability, we also calculated the change in annual expected damages, a measure of the annual protection lost because of projected coral reef degradation. We found that degradation of the coral reefs off Florida increases future risks significantly. In particular, we estimated the protection lost by Florida’s coral reefs from projected coral reef degradation will result in: Increased flooding to more than 8.77 square kilometers (3.39 square miles) of land annually; Increased flooding affecting more than 7,300 people annually; Increased direct damages of more than $385.4 million to more than 1,400 buildings annually; and Increased indirect damages to more $438.1 million in economic activity owing to housing and business damage annually. Thus, the annual value of increased flood risk caused by the projected degradation of Florida’s coral reefs is more than 7,300 people and $823.6 million (2010 U.S. dollars). These data provide stakeholders and decision makers with a spatially explicit, rigorous valuation of how, where, and when degradation of Florida’s coral reefs will decrease critical coastal storm flood reduction benefits. These results help identify areas where reef management, recovery, and restoration could potentially help reduce the risk to, and increase the resiliency of, Florida’s coastal communities.

Florida↗
USGS2019

US Costal Research Program: Building a research community to support coastal stakeholders

The U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) was created to develop, coordinate, and enable a National science plan to address growing needs of coastal communities. Researchers from federal agencies, academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations work together to identify priorities that support coastal stakeholders in activities such as emergency response, resource management, planning, and engineering. By fostering existing partnerships and multi-agency collaborations, the USCRP increases the value and impact of these coastal research applications. Through user-driven topical workshops, the USCRP initiates conversation between users and researchers to help ensure that research addresses societal needs along the coastline. By leveraging and expanding federal funding, opportunities are created for coastal science and engineering university programs to advance their research directions, provide graduate student opportunities, and connect their work to National coastal priorities.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2023

The During Nearshore Event Experiment (DUNEX): A collaborative coastal community experiment to address coastal resilience

The During Nearshore Event Experiment (DUNEX) was a large-scale coastal field effort focused on improving understanding of during-storm nearshore processes to ultimately develop predictive technologies, engineering solutions, and actions to enhance coastal resilience. The experiments were conducted on the North Carolina coast by a multidisciplinary group of over 30 research scientists from 18 academic and federal institutions supporting over 30 graduate students and deploying over 300 instruments from 2019 to 2021. The overarching goal of DUNEX was to gather information collaboratively to improve understanding of the interactions of coastal water levels, waves, currents, beach and dune evolution, soil behavior, vegetation, and groundwater during major coastal storms that affect infrastructure, habitats, and communities. In the short term, these high-quality field measurements will lead to better understanding of during-storm processes and impacts and will enhance U.S. academic coastal research programs by providing opportunities for students to learn about field data collection and to potentially analyze data as part of their studies. Longer-term, DUNEX data and outcomes will improve the ability to predict extreme event physical processes and impacts, validate coastal processes numerical models, and improve coastal resilience strategies and communication methods for coastal communities impacted by storms. The purpose of this paper is to describe the motivation for and science goals of the experiment, how stakeholder needs led to these goals, collaborations amongst researchers, and the knowledge gained that will lead to tools to improve coastal resilience. Herein, we first describe how researchers worked with stakeholders to structure their community-driven needs into science-based requirements. Next, we summarize how federal, academic, and stakeholder researchers worked together to design and execute a multi-organizational experiment aligned with those requirements. Finally, we articulate early findings and lessons learned from the experiment. This paper does not summarize all the research findings from DUNEX, as analyses are still ongoing. An American Geophysical Union (AGU) Special Collection on Coastal Storm Research will be published in 2025 including outcomes from DUNEX research.

North Carolina↗
USGS2025

Reviews and syntheses: Variable inundation across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems

The structure, function, and dynamics of Earth's terrestrial ecosystems are profoundly influenced by how often (frequency) and how long (duration) they are inundated with water. A diverse array of natural and human-engineered systems experience temporally variable inundation whereby they fluctuate between inundated and non-inundated states. Variable inundation spans extreme events to predictable sub-daily cycles. Variably inundated ecosystems (VIEs) include hillslopes, non-perennial streams, wetlands, floodplains, temporary ponds, tidal systems, storm-impacted coastal zones, and human-engineered systems. VIEs are diverse in terms of inundation regimes, water chemistry and flow velocity, soil and sediment properties, vegetation, and many other properties. The spatial and temporal scales of variable inundation are vast, ranging from sub-meter to whole landscapes and from sub-hourly to multi-decadal. The broad range of system types and scales makes it challenging to predict the hydrology, biogeochemistry, ecology, and physical evolution of VIEs. Despite all experiencing the loss and gain of an overlying water column, VIEs are rarely considered together in conceptual, theoretical, modeling, or measurement frameworks and approaches. Studying VIEs together has the potential to generate mechanistic understanding that is transferable across a much broader range of environmental conditions, relative to knowledge generated by studying any one VIE type. We postulate that enhanced transferability will be important for predicting changes in VIE function in response to global change. Here we aim to catalyze cross-VIE science that studies drivers and impacts of variable inundation across Earth's VIEs. To this end, we complement expert mini-reviews of eight major VIE systems with overviews of VIE-relevant methods and challenges associated with scale. We conclude with perspectives on how cross-VIE science can derive transferable understanding via unifying conceptual models in which the impacts of variable inundation are studied across multi-dimensional environmental space.

Biogeosciences↗
USGS2015

Archive of Sidescan Sonar and Swath Bathymetry Data Collected During USGS Cruise 13CCT04 Offshore of Petit Bois Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi, August 2013

In August of 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a geophysical survey offshore of Petit Bois Island, Mississippi. This effort was part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gulf of Mexico Science Coordination partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program and the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Change and Hazards Susceptibility Project, by mapping the shallow geologic stratigraphic framework of the Mississippi Barrier Island Complex. This geophysical survey will provide additional data necessary for scientists to define, interpret, and provide baseline bathymetry and seafloor habitat for this area, and to aid scientists in predicting future geomorphological changes of the islands with respect to climate change, storm impact, and sea-level rise. Furthermore, these data will provide information for barrier island restoration, particularly in Camille Cut, and protection for the historical Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island, Mississippi. The geophysical data were collected during one cruise ( USGS Field Activity Numbers 13CCT04 ) aboard the Research Vessel Tommy Munro offshore along the gulf side of Petit Bois Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi. Data were acquired with the following equipment: a Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd., SWATH plus interferometric sonar (468 kilohertz (kHz)), an EdgeTech 424 (4-24 kHz), an EdgeTech 525i chirp subbottom profiling system, and a Klein 3900 sidescan sonar system. This report serves as an archive of the processed interferometric swath bathymetry and sidescan sonar data. Geographic information system data products include an interpolated digital elevation model, an acoustic backscatter mosaic, trackline maps, and point data files. Additional files include error analysis maps, Field Activity Collection System logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata. NOTE: These data are scientific in nature and are not to be used for navigation. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Mississippi↗
USGS2025

Coastal fine-grained sediment plumes from beach nourishment near Santa Barbara, California

Terrestrial sediments captured by flood control facilities such as dams, debris basins, and engineered stream channels can reduce sediment fluxes to littoral cells. The beneficial use of these sediments for beach nourishment may induce negative environmental effects from turbidity or sedimentation caused by the source material. Here, we examine the size and extent of turbid coastal plumes produced by beach nourishment with sediment containing significant fine-grained (silt and clay) fractions near Santa Barbara, California, to evaluate the potential effects of beneficial use of fluvial sediment captured in upstream facilities. Using remotely sensed imagery and hydrodynamic and sediment transport model simulations, we find that wave height, wind speed and direction, and sediment settling velocity have strong controls on the direction and extent of the turbid plume produced by beach nourishment. These results are consistent with monitored nourishment projects, suggesting generalizable patterns and processes across the studies. Additionally, we find that sediment placement method (hauling versus dredging) can influence the magnitude and duration of fine-sediment concentrations in the adjacent coastal waters. Combined, these results will inform sediment management strategies that intend to minimize the environmental effects of beach nourishment within the study area and across similar coastal sites.

California↗
USGS2011

Building destruction from waves and surge on the bolivar peninsula during hurricane ike

The Bolivar Peninsula in Texas was severely impacted by Hurricane Ike with strong winds, large waves, widespread inundation, and severe damage. This paper examines the wave and surge climate on Bolivar during the storm and the consequent survival and destruction of buildings. Emphasis is placed on differences between buildings that survived (with varying degrees of damage) and buildings that were completely destroyed. Building elevations are found to be the primary indicator of survival for areas with large waves. Here, buildings that were sufficiently elevated above waves and surge suffered relatively little structural damage, while houses at lower elevations were impacted by large waves and generally completely destroyed. In many areas, the transition from destruction to survival was over a very small elevation range of around 0.5 m. In areas where waves were smaller, survival was possible at much lower elevations. Higher houses that were not inundated still survived, but well-built houses at lower elevations could also survive as the waves were not large enough to cause structural damage. However, the transition height where waves became damaging could not be determined from this study. ?? 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engin↗
USGSDate not supplied

Sand and gravel resources of Puerto Rico

Many of Puerto Rico's beaches are eroding, and though rates of erosion vary, it is a major concern for the tourism and residential development industries. More than 85 percent of the population lives within 7 kilometers of the coast and they are heavily dependent on tourists that are attracted by the island's beaches and coral reefs. High-quality scientific data are needed to help formulate public policy regarding residential and commercial construction along the coast, beach replenishment, and future use of marine resources. Scientists have long recognized that the causes of coastal land loss are not limited to a relative rise in sea level, but can be manmade as well. For example, sediment supply to beaches especially along the north shore of Puerto Rico has been strongly affected by upstream river channeling, dam construction, various agricultural practices, paving and urbanization, as well as shallow-water oceanographic processes. The response to coastal erosion in Puerto Rico has been mostly crisis based leading to engineered solutions that have a negative effect on the coastal environment.

Puerto Rico↗