Hurricane Sandy induced changes to piping plover nesting habitat on Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey

Dates

Publication Date: 2023-09-29
Start Date: 2011
End Date: 2015

Citation

Baldwin, M.J., and Barrow, W.C., Jr., 2023, Hurricane Sandy induced changes to piping plover nesting habitat on Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9A3Q4XT.

Summary

The barrier islands and coastal beaches along the Atlantic Coast are dynamic systems continuously affected and shaped by tides and weather events (Davidson-Arnott 2010). Occasionally weather events are large enough to generate or expand beach overwash areas and may inundate all or part of the islands. Nor'easters, are known to play a significant role in shaping beach morphology along the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts (Leatherman et al. 1977, Hapke et al. 2010), but hurricanes are also recognized drivers of change in this region (Donnelly et al. 2001, Donnelly et al. 2004, Buynevich and Donnelly 2006, Boldt et al. 2010). The federally threatened Atlantic Coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus melodus) is dependent upon coastal [...]

Summary

The barrier islands and coastal beaches along the Atlantic Coast are dynamic systems continuously affected and shaped by tides and weather events (Davidson-Arnott 2010). Occasionally weather events are large enough to generate or expand beach overwash areas and may inundate all or part of the islands. Nor'easters, are known to play a significant role in shaping beach morphology along the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts (Leatherman et al. 1977, Hapke et al. 2010), but hurricanes are also recognized drivers of change in this region (Donnelly et al. 2001, Donnelly et al. 2004, Buynevich and Donnelly 2006, Boldt et al. 2010). The federally threatened Atlantic Coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus melodus) is dependent upon coastal beaches and overwash areas for nesting and brooding habitat (USFWS 1996). Nests are generally located on open beaches, sandspits, and low sloping dunes with little or no vegetation (Cairns 1982). Storm generated wave action maintains these habitats by resetting beach succession (i.e., decrease herbaceous and woody vegetation cover within dunes) and creating and improving nesting and foraging habitat (Loegering and Fraser 1995, Schupp et al. 2013). On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey. It was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with winds extending out 1,800 km (Blake et al. 2013). The storm eroded and flattened shorelines, breached barrier islands, altered sand volume on beaches, washed dunes to the backside of barrier islands, and created overwash habitat on marshes (American Littoral Society 2012, Blake et al. 2013, Sopkin et al. 2014). These changes directly affected the piping plover nesting habitat on coastal New Jersey, but the extent of the effect was not known. We documented the change in potential piping plover nesting habitat at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge from 2011 to 2015 (2 years pre- and 3 years post-Hurricane Sandy). Mapping efforts focused on the Holgate and Little Beach Island management units of the refuge where piping plovers are known to nest. Literature Cited: American Littoral Society, 2012, Assessing the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on coastal habitats: American Littoral Society Final Report for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 90 p., rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/43631/PDF/1. Blake, E.S., Kimberlain, T.B., Berg, R.J., Cangialosi, J.P., and Beven, J.L., II, 2013, Tropical cyclone report: Hurricane Sandy (AL182012) 22 – 29 October 2012, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center, v. 12, 157 p., https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AS182012_Sandy.pdf. Boldt, K.V., Lane, P., Woodruff, J.D., and Donnelly, J.P., 2010, Calibrating a sedimentary record of overwash from Southeastern New England using modeled historic hurricane surges: Marine Geology, v. 275, no. 1-4, p. 127-139, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2010.05.002. Bourque, N.R., Villard, M.-A., Mazerolle, M.J., Amirault-Langlais, D., Tremblay, E., and Jolicoeur, S., 2015, Piping Plover response to coastal storms occurring during the nonbreeding season: Avian Conservation and Ecology, v. 10, no. 1, art. 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00734-100112. Buynevich, I.V., and Donnelly, J.P., 2006, Geological signatures of barrier breaching and overwash, Southern Massachusetts, USA: Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 39, Proceedings of the 8th International Coastal Symposium (ICS 2004), v. I (Winter 2006), p 112-116, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25741544. Cairns, W.E., 1982, Biology and behavior of breeding piping plovers: Wilson Bulletin, v. 94, p. 531-535, https://sora.unm.edu/node/129971. Cohen, J.B., Houghton, L.M., and Fraser, J.D., 2010, Nesting density and reproductive success of piping plovers in response to storm- and human-created habitat changes: Wildlife Monographs, v. 173, no. 1 p., p. 1-24, https://doi.org/10.2193/2007-553. Davidson-Arnott, R., 2009, Introduction to Coastal Processes and Geomorphology: Cambridge University Press, 442 p., https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511841507. Donnelly, J.P., Butler, J., Roll, S., Wengren, M., and Webb, T., III, 2004, A backbarrier overwash record of intense storms from Brigantine, New Jersey: Marine Geology, v. 210, no. 1-4, p. 107-121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2004.05.005. Donnelly, J.P., Roll, S., Wengren, M., Butler, J., Lederer, R., and Webb, T., III, 2001, Sedimentary evidence of intense hurricane strikes from New Jersey: Geology, v. 29, no. 7, p. 615-618, https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/29/7/615-618/188804. Hapke, C.J., Himmelstoss, E.A., Kratzmann, M.G., List, J.H., and Thieler, E.R., 2011, National assessment of shoreline change; historical shoreline change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1118, 57 p., available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1118/. Houghton, L.M., 2005, Piping plover population dynamics and effecs of beach management practices on piping plovers at West Hampton Dunes and Westhampton Beach, New York: Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va., 162 p., https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/28755. Leatherman, S.P., Williams, A.T., and Fisher, J.S., 1977, Overwash sedimentation associated with a large-scale northeaster: Marine Geology, v. 24, no. 2, p. 109-121, https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(77)90004-4. Loegering, J.P., and Fraser, J.D., 1995, Factors affecting piping plover chick survival in different brood-rearing habitats: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 59, no. 4, p. 646-655, https://doi.org/10.2307/3801940. SAS Institute, Inc., 2008, SAS OnlineDoc, ver. 9.2: SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C., U.S.A. Schupp, C.A., Winn, N.T., Pearl, T.L., Kumer, J.P., Carruthers, T.J.B., and Zimmerman, C.S., 2013, Restoration of overwash processes creates piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat on a barrier island (Assateague Island, Maryland): Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, v. 116, p. 11-20, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2012.07.003. Sopkin, K.L., Stockdon, H.F., Doran, K.S., Plant, N.G., Morgan, K.L.M., Guy, K.K., and Smith, K.E.L., 2014, Hurricane Sandy—Observations and analysis of coastal change: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1088, 54 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141088. Atlantic Coast Piping Plover Recovery Team, 1996, Piping plover (Charadrius melodus), Atlantic Coast population, revised recovery plan: prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, Mass., 258 p., https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/960502.pdf.

Contacts

Point of Contact :: Hardin Waddle
Originator :: Michael J Baldwin, Wylie C Barrow
Metadata Contact :: Michael J Baldwin
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
SDC Data Owner :: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
USGS Mission Area :: Ecosystems

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PIPL Nesting Habitat Maps.xml Original FGDC Metadata	View	27.85 KB	application/fgdc+xml
2011_Habitat.zip		3.57 MB	application/zip
2012_Habitat.zip		7.7 MB	application/zip
2013_Habitat.zip		6.58 MB	application/zip
2014_Habitat.zip		4.2 MB	application/zip
2015_Habitat.zip		2.64 MB	application/zip

Purpose

Maps were created to document changes in piping plover (Charadrius melodus melodus) nesting habitat caused by Hurricane Sandy at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey.

Hurricane Sandy induced changes to piping plover nesting habitat on Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey

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