Landscape position-based habitat modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island feasibility assessment at Dauphin Island
Dates
Publication Date
2020-02-26
Time Period
2020
Citation
Enwright, N.M., Wang, L., Wang, H., Dalyander, P.S., Osland, M.J., Stelly, S.J., Mickey, R.C., Feher, L.C., Borchert, S.M., and Day, R.H., 2020, Landscape position-based habitat modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island feasibility assessment at Dauphin Island: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9PK0EH0.
Summary
A barrier island habitat prediction model was used to forecast barrier island habitats (for example, beach, dune, intertidal marsh, and woody vegetation) for Dauphin Island, Alabama, based on potential island configurations associated with a variety of restoration measures and varying future conditions of storminess and sea-levels. In this study, we loosely coupled a habitat model framework with decadal hydrodynamic geomorphic model outputs to forecast habitats for 2 potential future conditions related to storminess (that is, "medium" storminess and "high" storminess based on storm climatology data) and 4 sea-level scenarios (that is, a "low" increase in sea level 0.3 m by around 2030 and 2050 and 1.0 m by around 2070 and 2128). Here, [...]
Summary
A barrier island habitat prediction model was used to forecast barrier island habitats (for example, beach, dune, intertidal marsh, and woody vegetation) for Dauphin Island, Alabama, based on potential island configurations associated with a variety of restoration measures and varying future conditions of storminess and sea-levels. In this study, we loosely coupled a habitat model framework with decadal hydrodynamic geomorphic model outputs to forecast habitats for 2 potential future conditions related to storminess (that is, "medium" storminess and "high" storminess based on storm climatology data) and 4 sea-level scenarios (that is, a "low" increase in sea level 0.3 m by around 2030 and 2050 and 1.0 m by around 2070 and 2128). Here, storminess refers to decadal-scale variation in the frequency and magnitude of storms. These sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios followed two SLR curves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intermediate SLR curve (0.7 m by 2100) and high SLR curve (1.7 m by 2100). The hydrodynamic geomorphic modeling was quasi-static, using an elevated offshore water level to capture impacts of future sea-level increases, and as such did not account for the dynamic effects of rising sea levels. However, for intertidal marshes, it was important to factor in the timing of the SLR since the SLR rate is important for the ability of an intertidal marsh to keep pace with SLR. Thus, we used literature-based assumptions related to the rate of SLR to account for potential vertical accretion in intertidal marshes. This USGS data release contains comma separated values (CSV) files for predictor variables by tidal zone and spatially explicit raster-based habitat prediction results for the various island configurations assessed for this modeling effort. For more information on the habitat model methodology and results, see the publication listed in the larger work section of this metadata (Enwright and others, 2020).
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Enwright, N.M., Wang, H., Dalyander, S.P., and Godsey, E., eds., 2020, Predicting barrier island habitats and oyster and seagrass habitat suitability for various restoration measures and future conditions for Dauphin Island, Alabama: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020–1003, 99 p.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 are two major events that have affected habitats and natural resources on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The latter event prompted a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the State of Alabama funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to investigate viable, sustainable restoration measures that reduce degradation and enhance the natural resources of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The overarching goal of the Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Assessment was to document baseline conditions and forecast potential conditions under varying sea-level change and storm scenarios for a no-action alternative along with a variety of restoration measures including beach and dune restoration, marsh and back-barrier restoration, and placement of sand in the littoral zone. Here, a barrier island habitat prediction model was used to forecast barrier island habitats (for example, beach, dune, intertidal marsh, and woody vegetation) for Dauphin Island, Alabama, based on potential island configurations associated with a variety of restoration measures and varying future conditions of storminess and sea levels. These data provide insights to natural resource managers and planners on how a restoration measure may maintain or impede the occurrence of natural coastal processes and provides information critical for making future-focused decisions regarding barrier island restoration.
