Erosional patterns of the Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, in relation to meteorological influences
Journal of Coastal Research
By: J.R. Dingler, T. E. Reiss, and N.G. Plant
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Abstract
Over the past 100 years, the Isles Dernieres, a low-lying barrier-island chain along the central Louisiana coast, has eroded extensively. This erosion has resulted in more than 1 km of northward beach-face retreat and the loss of 71% of the total island area. The primary causes for the erosion are wind and wave attack, diminished sand supply, and relative sea-level rise. Five years of detailed topographic surveys show that a beach on the central Isles Dernieres changed significantly in both shape and sediment volume; however, the pattern of change was not the same each year. In contrast to the relatively slow erosion caused by cold fronts, hurricane Gilbert, a category 5 hurricane that passed about 800 km south of the Isles Dernieres in September 1988, produced differential beach-face retreat of about 9 m at mean sea level and 40 m at an elevation of 0.5 m. Most of the sediment eroded from the beach face was deposited on the backshore, which resulted in only a small loss of sediment from the beach and a noteworthy decrease in beach-face slope. During the two years following hurricane Gilbert, the mean-sea-level contour remained stationary while the beach face slowly returned to its pre-Gilbert shape. "Cold-front' magnitude of retreat is expected to continue until another large hurricane alters the erosional pattern. -from Authors
Suggested Citation
Dingler, J., Reiss, T.E., Plant, N., 1993, Erosional patterns of the Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, in relation to meteorological influences: Journal of Coastal Research, v. 9, no. 1, p. 112-115.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Erosional patterns of the Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, in relation to meteorological influences |
| Series title | Journal of Coastal Research |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1993 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Journal of Coastal Research |
| First page | 112 |
| Last page | 115 |