Barrier island vulnerability to breaching: a case study on Dauphin Island, Alabama
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Breaching of barrier islands can adversely impact society by severing infrastructure, destroying private properties, and altering water quality in back bays and estuaries. This study provides a scheme that assesses the relative vulnerability of a barrier island to breach during storms. Dauphin Island, Alabama was selected for this study because it has a well documented history of island breaches and extensive geological and geomorphic data. To assess the vulnerability of the island, we defined several variables contributing to the risk of breaching: island geology, breaching history, and island topography and geomorphology. These variables were combined to form a breaching index (BI) value for cross island computational bins, each bin every 50 m in the alongshore direction. Results suggest the eastern section of Dauphin Island has the lowest risk of breaching with the remaining portion of the island having a moderate to high risk of breaching. Two reaches in the western section of the island were found to be particularly vulnerable due primarily to their minimal cross-sectional dimensions.
Study Area
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Barrier island vulnerability to breaching: a case study on Dauphin Island, Alabama |
| ISBN | 0784409269; 9780784409268 |
| DOI | 10.1061/40926(239)157 |
| Year Published | 2007 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Society of Civil Engineers |
| Contributing office(s) | Coastal and Marine Geology Program |
| Description | 9 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
| Larger Work Title | Coastal Sediments '07 - Proceedings of 6th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes |
| First page | 2002 |
| Last page | 2010 |
| Conference Title | 6th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes |
| Conference Location | New Orleans, LA |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| Other Geospatial | Dauphin Island |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |