West Ship Island evolution, morphology, and hurricane response: 1995 to 2000 (Open-file report)
Schmid K. 2001. West Ship Island evolution, morphology, and hurricane response: 1995 to 2000 (Open-file report). 133. Miss. Dept. of Environmental Quality, Office of Geology Coastal Section Energy, Coastal Geology Div.. Jackson, MS
West Ship Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Mississippi; it is a popular tourist destination and is the site of historic Fort Massachusetts. Hurricane Georges passed just to east of the island in late September 1998. This report has combined new shoreline data including LIDAR, Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys, and cross-shore profiles with traditional data sources such as aerial photography, sediment cores, and bathymetry to describe island change in the period preceding Hurricane Georges, change caused by the hurricane, and change during recovery- Island evolution prior to the storm's passage had been described as rotational, with the island actually moving southward toward the Gulf of Mexico (regressive)- During the hurricane the island retreated and portrayed typical transgressive (toward shore) behavior. Following the hurricane, the island regained much of the 39 acres lost during the storm- One key feature of the island's overall evolution seems to be Loggerhead Shoal to the east of the island. To the west of the shoal longshore transport and low elevations dominate- Cross-shore transport and hummocky dunes are associated with the island landward of the shoal- The location of Loggerhead Shoal appears to be a result of earlier Pleistocene topography.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Schmid, Keil
- Date of Issue
- 2001
- Publisher
- Miss. Dept. of Environmental Quality, Office of Geology Coastal Section Energy, Coastal Geology Div.
- Units
- GUIS
- Keywords
- climatic geomorphology, Effect of storms on Barrier islands MS, West Ship Island MS