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Data Series 281

Satellite Images and Aerial Photographs of the Effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Coastal Louisiana

By John A. Barras

Version 1.0
Posted July 2007


Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the eastern coastline of Louisiana on August 29, 2005; Hurricane Rita made landfall on the western coastline of Louisiana on September 24, 2005. Comparison of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite imagery acquired before and after the landfalls of Katrina and Rita and classified to identify land and water demonstrated that water area increased by 217 mi2 (562 km2) in coastal Louisiana as a result of the storms. These new water areas represent land losses caused by direct removal of wetlands. They also indicate transitory changes in water area caused by remnant flooding, removal of aquatic vegetation, scouring of marsh vegetation, and water-level variation attributed to normal tidal and meteorological variation between satellite images. Permanent land losses cannot be estimated until several growing seasons have passed and the transitory impacts of the hurricanes are minimized. The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary information on water area changes in coastal Louisiana acquired shortly after the landfalls of both hurricanes (detectable with Landsat TM imagery) and to serve as a regional baseline for monitoring posthurricane wetland recovery.

 

The images are provided in low-resolution, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format for efficiency in Web viewing and in high-resolution, Portable Document Format (PDF) for downloading and printing; they are not Section 508 compliant.



    Introduction

  • Figure 1. Chandeleur Islands TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 2A. Main Pass TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 2B. Main Pass photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 2C. Main Pass photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 3A. South Pass TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 3B. South Pass photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 3C. South Pass photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 3D. South Pass after Ivan TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 4A. Bayou Biloxi TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 4B. Bayou Biloxi photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 4C. Bayou Biloxi photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 5A. Lower Pearl River TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 5B. Lower Pearl River photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 5C. Lower Pearl River photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 5D. Lower Pearl River photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 5E. Lower Pearl River photo D (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 6A. Alligator Point TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 6B. Alligator Point photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 6C. Alligator Point photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 6D. Alligator Point photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7A. Delacroix TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7B. Delacroix photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7C. Delacroix photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7D. Delacroix photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7E. Delacroix photo D (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7F. Delacroix photo E (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7G. Delacroix photo F (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7H. Delacroix photo G (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7I. Delacroix photo H (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7J. Delacroix photo I (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7K. Delacroix photo J (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7L. Delacroix photo K (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7M. Delacroix photo L (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7N. Delacroix photo M (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7O. Delacroix photo N (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7P. Delacroix photo O (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7Q. Delacroix photo P (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7R. Delacroix photo Q (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 7S. Delacroix photo R (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 8A. Liberty Bayou TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 8B. Liberty Bayou photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 8C. Liberty Bayou photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 8D. Liberty Bayou photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 9. Big Mar TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 10A. Fontainebleau State Park TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 10B. Fontainebleau State Park photo (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 11A. Lake Salvador TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 11B. Lake Salvador photo (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 12A. Labranch TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 12B. Labranch photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 12C. Labranch photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 12D. Labranch photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 13A. Bayou Pointe au Chien TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 13B. Bayou Pointe au Chien photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 13C. Bayou Pointe au Chien photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 14A. Lake Boudreaux TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 14B. Lake Boudreaux photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 14C. Lake Boudreaux photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 15A. Falgout Canal TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 15B. Falgout Canal photo (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 16A. Plumb Bayou (Rita) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 16B. Plumb Bayou (Lili) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 16C. Plumb Bayou (Andrew) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 17. Big Hog Bayou TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 18A. Wax Lake and Atchafalaya River Deltas (Rita) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 18B. Wax Lake and Atchafalaya River Deltas (Lili) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 19A. Marone Point (Rita) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 19B. Marone Point photo (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 19C. Marone Point (Lili) TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 20. Southwestern Louisiana after Rita TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 21A. Freshwater Bayou TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 21B. Freshwater Bayou photo A (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 21C. Freshwater Bayou photo B (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 21D. Freshwater Bayou photo C (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 22A. White Lake TM image, 9-05 to 10-05 (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 22B. White Lake TM image, 10-05 to 2-06 (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 22C. White Lake TM image, 2-06 to 4-06 (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 22D. White Lake TM image, 4-06 to 5-06 (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 23. Deep Lake TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 24. Sweet Lake TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 25. Johnsons Bayou TM image (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 26. Overview (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 27. Marsh communities (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 28. Delacroix photo and digital orthophoto quarter quadrangle (DOQQ) (JPEG or PDF).
  • Figure 29. Historical perspective (JPEG or PDF).

 



Suggested citation:

Barras, J.A., 2007, Satellite images and aerial photographs of the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 281, at https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2007/281.


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Last modified: Monday, 28-Nov-2016 12:29:09 EST