NOVEMBER 2009 NOR'EASTER IMPACTS TO FETCH-LIMITED BARRIER ISLANDS IN DELAWARE BAY

In mid-November 2009, the remnants of Hurricane Ida redeveloped as a nor’easter and swept up the east coast of the US, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds, which lead to several fatalities. This study focuses on a particularly dynamic area of coast along the western side of Delaware Bay. This Bay is a fetch-limited environment of marsh-backed beaches which are particularly dynamic due to their low, narrow profiles and lack of vegetation. Fowler Beach is an undeveloped stretch of barrier beach adjacent to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge comprises salt marsh in the north and freshwater lagoon in the south, and is maintained as a major migratory bird habitat. The site is also home to several rare plant species. In recent years, the limited subaerial sand on this beach has been scraped into artificial dunes to prevent salt-water intrusion into the marsh. However, storms have repeatedly washed over those dunes and opened inlets to the marsh. We have documented the evolution of this shoreline over the past ten years through use of Lidar, and oblique and orthorectified aerial photographs. Storm conditions that led to these washover events are quantified based on buoy data from within the Bay and local weather stations. Based on these results, it is anticipated that future storms will continue to breach the beach in this area and that alternative management methods will be required.