Assessing habitat change and migration of barrier islands
Dates
Publication Date
2021-02-24
Time Period
2021
Citation
Enwright, N.M., Wang, L., Dalyander, S., Wang, H., Osland, M.J., Mickey, R.C., Jenkins, R.L., III, and Godsey, E.S., 2021, Assessing habitat change and migration of barrier islands: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9V4Z7OK.
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 level (Enwright and others, 2020). This USGS data release contains five habitat model predictions from the aforementioned modeling effort. These include: (1) the contemporary period (that is, 2015); (2) with action Year 0 (that is, hypothetically, predicted habitat coverage in 2128 based on our sea-level change rate); (3) with action Year 10 (that is, predicted habitat coverage after ten years of morphodynamic modeling [...]
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 level (Enwright and others, 2020). This USGS data release contains five habitat model predictions from the aforementioned modeling effort. These include: (1) the contemporary period (that is, 2015); (2) with action Year 0 (that is, hypothetically, predicted habitat coverage in 2128 based on our sea-level change rate); (3) with action Year 10 (that is, predicted habitat coverage after ten years of morphodynamic modeling with simulated storms); (4) without action Year 0; and (5) without action Year 10. Additionally, this data release includes change maps that highlight changes over the decadal simulation (that is, Year 0 to Year 10) with and without action, respectively, along with the difference between Year 10 for the with and without the action simulation. 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) and Enwright and others (in review).
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, we show how barrier island habitat prediction models/maps produced through the feasibility study can be used to provide insight 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.
