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Data Series 988

Post-Hurricane Isaac Coastal Oblique Aerial Photographs Collected along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana barrier islands, September 2-3, 2012

By Karen L.M. Morgan1 and Karen A. Westphal2

1U.S. Geological Survey
2Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Work done under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey.

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

Publications are available from USGS Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0046 (telephone 1-888-ASK-USGS e-mail: infoservices@usgs.gov).


Home | Abbreviations | Contents | Photos and Maps | Navigation Data | Logs | Metadata | Citation Page


Contents:

Abstract

Getting Started

List of Figures

Table of Images



Reference Cited

Suggested Citation

Acknowledgments



Information Statement

System Requirements

Contact

 Index Map

Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Survey Area
Figure 1. Map showing the post-Hurricane Isaac coastal oblique survey flight path along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana barrier islands, September 2-3, 2012. Click in an area box to view a detailed map of that area.

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project, conducts baseline and storm-response photography missions to document and understand the changes in vulnerability of the Nation's coasts to extreme storms (Morgan, 2009). On September 2-3, 2012, the USGS conducted an oblique aerial photographic survey along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana barrier islands (Figure 1) aboard a Cessna 172 (aircraft) at an altitude of 500 feet (ft) and approximately 1,000 ft offshore (Figure 2). This mission was flown to collect post-Hurricane Isaac data for assessing incremental changes in the beach and nearshore area since the last survey, flown in September 2008 (central Louisiana barrier islands) and June 2011 (Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Breton Island, Louisiana), and the data can be used in the assessment of future coastal change.

The photographs provided in this report are Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) images. ExifTool was used to add the following to the header of each photo: time of collection, Global Positioning System (GPS) latitude, GPS longitude, keywords, credit, artist (photographer), caption, copyright, and contact information. The photograph locations are an estimate of the position of the aircraft at the time the photograph was taken and do not indicate the location of any feature in the images (see the Navigation Data page). These photographs document the state of the barrier islands and other coastal features at the time of the survey. Pages containing thumbnail images of the photographs, referred to as contact sheets, were created in 5-minute segments of flight time. These segments can be found on the Photos and Maps page. Photographs can be opened directly with any JPEG-compatible image viewer by clicking on a thumbnail on the contact sheet.

In addition to the photographs, a Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file is provided and can be used to view the images by clicking on the marker and then clicking on either the thumbnail or the link above the thumbnail. The KML files were created using the photographic navigation files. These KML file(s) can be found in the kml folder.


Getting Started

This report is divided into eight sections: Home, Abbreviations, Contents, Photos and Maps, Navigation Data, Logs, Metadata, and Citation Page. Links at the top and bottom of each page provide access to these sections.

Links to the full-sized images can be found through the Photos and Maps page and through Table 1. KML files, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files, images used to produce the Web pages, and a readme file are also included in this report. GPS data collected during the flight are also available on the Navigation Data page. The Logs page contains information on the flight and the equipment used. The Contents page contains a diagram of the location of all files and folders mentioned in the text and provides links to these files and folders.


List of Figures

Figure 1. Map showing the post-Hurricane Isaac coastal oblique survey flight path along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana barrier islands, September 2-3, 2012.

Figure 2. Acquisition Geometry

Figure 3A. Area 1 - Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, through Breton Island, Louisiana.

Figure 3B. Area 2 - Dauphin Island, Alabama, westward to Cat Island, Mississippi.

Figure 3C. Area 3 - Pelican Island, Louisiana, to Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

Figure 3D. Area 4 - Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to Isle Dernieres, Louisiana.

Figure 4. Northern Benchmark Inset Map (Area 1)

Figure 5. Dauphin Island Inset Map (Area 2)

Figure 6. Cat Island Inset Map (Area 2)

Figure 7. Pelican Island Inset Map (Area 3)


Table of Images

Table 1 provides detailed information about the image name, GPS location, date, and time for each of the 1,932 photographs that were taken during this survey, along with links to each photograph and contact sheet.


Reference Cited

Morgan, K.L.M., 2009, Coastal change during Hurricane Isabel 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3025, 2 p., https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3025/.


Suggested Citation

Morgan, K.L.M., and Westphal, K.A., 2016, Post-Hurricane Isaac coastal oblique aerial photographs collected along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana barrier islands, September 2-3, 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 988, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds988


Acknowledgments

Funding and support for this study was provided by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP). The authors wish to thank pilots, Ned Downie and Brandon Campbell, for their assistance in data collection. This report benefited from the comments and reviews of David M. Thompson and Davina Passeri with the USGS.


Information Statement

This report was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The USGS shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.


System Requirements

The minimum software requirements are a Web browser, a Portable Document Format (PDF) reader, and a text editor. Additional features are provided using Google Earth software (http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/). If you cannot fully access the information on this page, please contact USGS Information Services at infoservices@usgs.gov or 1-888-ASK-USGS.

NOTE: Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software is required to view PDF documents.


Contact

Karen L.M. Morgan
U.S. Geological Survey
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Ph: (727) 502-8037
Fax: (727) 502-8182
kmorgan@usgs.gov


Home | Abbreviations | Contents | Photos and Maps | Navigation Data | Logs | Metadata | Citation Page