Start |Author Index | View Uploaded Presentations | Meeting Information
Paper No. 6
Presentation Time: 9:15 AM

COASTAL TOPOGRAPHICAL CHANGE ANALYSES ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERSTORM SANDY AT MILLER FIELD, STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK


CARVAJAL, Carlos P.1, FULLMER, Randall T.2, SPAHN, Andrea3, SCHMELZ, William1 and PSUTY, Norbert P.3, (1)Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 74 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732, (2)Institute of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers, Golden, CO 80401, (3)New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers University, 74 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732, kuayshen@gmail.com

Geomorphological changes associated with Superstorm Sandy in the United States Atlantic coast require a quantitative and descriptive analysis of spatial variations of sediment for a better understanding of the impacts and recovery related to strong meteorological events. This study focuses on Miller Field at the Staten Island Unit in Gateway National Recreation Area. Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) survey style was used to collect real-time XYZ position data of the area according to Part II - Coastal Topography and Part III – Areas of Special Interest of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network Geomorphological Monitoring Protocols. RTK survey data was collected immediately prior, subsequently, and 11 months after Superstorm Sandy occurred. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) were generated from survey datasets using ESRI ArcMap to construct comparable three-dimensional models. Furthermore, 2D cross-section profiles were produced at Miller Field benchmark monuments (MF1 and MF2) on the northern and southern end of the park’s beach to compare the scale of spatial and volume variations of the beach and dune. Comparison of the generated 2D-profiles with data from 2009, 2010, and 2011 showed minor spatial variations prior to Sandy. However, right after the storm a 24.2 m inland migration of the foredune crest occurred at MF1. With post-storm recovery, spring 2013 data show a 3.8 m seaward migration of the foredune crest at MF1. 2D-profiles from MF2 exhibit similar spatial displacements. DEMs show these displacements of coastal features across the park and provide dimension to the recovery five months after Sandy. In the year following the storm, recovery has displaced the shoreline seaward yet the foredune feature has had minor horizontal and vertical sediment accretion. These data provide a rate of recovery for Miller Field after the storm and may contribute to a model for post-storm analyses in similar coastal areas.
Handouts
  • Carvajal_GSA_2013_compressed.pptx (25.3 MB)
  • Carvajal_GSA_2013_compressed.pdf (8.8 MB)

    • Session No. 12

    T69. Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy
    Sunday, 27 October 2013: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
    Room 501 (Colorado Convention Center)
    Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 45, No. 7, p.52
    © Copyright 2013 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
    Back to: T69. Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy
    << Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>