Shoreline change monitoring at Fire Island National Seashore: 2010-2011 annual report

Psuty, Norbert; Hudacek, William; Love, Aaron

This annual report documents the collection of shoreline position data and describes the short-term variation that has occurred during the period from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011 in the Fire island Barrier Island, including elements of the Fire Island National Seashore, as called for in the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network’s protocol on shoreline monitoring (Psuty, et al., 2010). The changes in shoreline position are generally descriptive of the seasonal contrasts (lower energetics in the summer period versus higher energetics in the winter period) that support sediment accumulation during summer and erosion during the winter. However, there are many natural variables and cultural events that affect the gains and losses of sediment and the displacements of the beach. The 1-D shoreline surveys were conducted in April 2010, September 2010, and May 2011. Most of the communities had a net negative shoreline displacement (mean of -13.71 m) for the year. Some of the County Park had a net annual negative shoreline displacement of -13.80 m. The NPS land had a net annual inland displacement of -12.04 m, whereas most of the State Park shifted inland -9.12 m. The mean shoreline position change for the annual period, Spring 2010 to Spring 2011, for the entire island was an inland displacement of -12.62 m. This annual report on shoreline position change of the Fire Island ocean shoreline does offer some insight into the areas of coastal dynamics and sediment budget. However, it is report on only one year of observations and does not establish a trend. The protocols for shoreline monitoring created a comparable geodatabase that will lead to efficiencies in data assembly and analysis.

Shoreline change monitoring at Fire Island National Seashore: 2010-2011 annual report

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