Tropical Cyclone Frequency and Barrier Island Erosion Rates, Cedar Island, Virginia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Nebel, S. H.; Trembanis, A.C., and Barber, D.C., 2013. Storm frequency and barrier island erosion rates, Cedar Island, Virginia. Shoreline surveys, high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography, and topographic maps were compiled using GIS and analyzed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System to examine event- and decadal-scale patterns of shoreline movement related to tropical cyclone impacts on south Cedar Island, Virginia. Global Positioning System (GPS) shoreline surveys conducted on southern Cedar Island 1.5 months before and 3 weeks after Tropical Storm Ernesto in 2006 recorded shoreline movement that resulted from the storm. On average (arithmetic mean), the southern section of Cedar Island retreated 25.4 ± 1 m as a result of the storm. The most severe erosion was documented to the south of an ephemeral inlet where the shoreline retreated 54.8 m. Shoreline recovery in the study area was determined from a February 2007 aerial photoset and a June 2007 GPS shoreline survey. Between ...