Project Summary

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy impacted Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), part of a barrier island chain along the south shore of Long Island (fig. 2). The storm caused substantial change to the subaerial beach (foreshore and backshore), altered shoreface morphology (Hapke and others, 2013), and resulted in a breach in the barrier island within the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness area (the wilderness breach, figs. 1 and 2). In order to characterize the morphologic evolution of the wilderness breach since Hurricane Sandy, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) conducted surveys in June 2013 (Brownell and others, 2015) and June 2014 (Nelson and others, 2016). The primary objective of the surveys was to map the morphology of the wilderness breach as part of the USGS Hurricane Sandy Supplemental Project GS2-2B. Further information can be found at http://www.usgs.gov/hurricane/sandy/#research_themes.html!research_theme_understanding_change.html. Additional bathymetric data were collected during October 5–10, 2014, in the wilderness breach, the Fire Island shoreface, Fire Island Inlet, Narrow Bay, Bellport Bay, and the eastern end of Great South Bay (fig. 2) to supplement modeling efforts of the wilderness breach and Great South Bay (http://cosmos.deltares.nl/FireIsland/). This survey (USGS Field Activity Number 2014-325-FA) includes the processed horizontal and vertical point data (x, y, and z) and digital elevation models (DEMs).

Figure 1. Eastern shore of the wilderness breach (foreground) showing the western shoreline (background) on October 10, 2014, Fire Island, New York. [Click image to enlarge]

Figure 2. Regional map of Fire Island, New York, along the southern coast of Long Island. The study area extends from Fire Island Inlet to Pattersquash Island. The individual survey areas and GPS base station locations are also indicated. [Click image to enlarge]