Coastal geomorphology of the ocean shoreline, Gateway National Recreation Area: natural evolution and cultural modifications, a synthesis
Psuty, NP, Dennehy P, Silveira T, Apostolou N. 2010. Coastal geomorphology of the ocean shoreline, Gateway National Recreation Area: natural evolution and cultural modifications, a synthesis. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NER/NRR—2010/184. NPS Natural Resource Program Center. Ft Collins, CO
This paper is a synthesis of the scientific literature pertaining to the geomorphological evolution of the ocean shoreline of the units of Gateway National Recreation Area (GNRA). It is a description of the studies that have been undertaken within the Park and it also brings together a suite of data that pertain to the environs of the Park, such as the wave climate, the measures of sea-level rise, and some of the storm history. In addition, this paper incorporates aspects of the human manipulation of the Park’s shoreline, both within the confines of the Park and adjacent to the Park. The history of inquiry into the physical processes and the resulting landforms is quite uneven for the several units of Gateway. The Sandy Hook area has been the subject of study for over a century, including Johnson (1919, p. 296) through Psuty, et al. (2009), whereas the remainder of the Gateway ocean shoreline is largely unstudied, or certainly not the subject of continuous inquiry. Information pertaining to components of Gateway has been included in many US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) reports (Taney, 1951: through USACOE, 2002) and they are sources of observations and histories of change, especially data regarding storm events and engineering modifications to the shore environment.In addition to the natural evolution of the coastal system within the boundary of Gateway, there are many human interventions that have altered the processes that create elements of the topography and there are alterations of the forms that exist on-site. The presence of engineering structures, both within and external to the Park, produce positive and negative modifications. Further, episodes of dredging and subsequent discharge of the excavated sediment have adjusted the availability and transport pathways of the local materials. Together, the natural conditions and the human alterations have created the coastal products in Gateway. The results of this combination of processes, sediments, and manipulations are the focus of this paper.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Psuty,, Norbert; Dennehy, Peter; Silveira, Tanya; Apostolou, Natalya
- Date of Issue
- 2010-03-01
- Publisher
- NPS Natural Resource Program Center
- Units
- GATE , NRSS
- Keywords
- Coastal, Gateway National Recreation Area, Geomorphology, Shoreline