Impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Upper Texas Coast: Using Airborne Lidar Data Sets with UAV-Derived Topographic Data to Monitor Change and Track Recovery

Abstract

The frequency of hurricanes and tropical storms is increasing; for example, there were a record-breaking 31 named storms during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Texas has historically been susceptible to hurricanes and tropical storms; however, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was the highest category storm event to cross Texas since 2000. Our regional change analysis used 2016 and 2018 lidar-derived elevation models with 1 m spatial resolution to determine above-sea level changes due to Hurricane Harvey. The upper Texas coast experienced shoreline erosion, with local depositional events occurring on the southeastern sides of jetties and groins. Incidents of dune washout and overwash fans were present along the barrier islands of the upper Texas coast, as well as erosion to foredune complexes and a decrease in dune heights. As of March 2018, recovery is visible through berm buildup and backbeach aggradation. Our multiyear analysis (above sea level) of four sites within Galveston and Follett’s Islands determined the immediate impact of Harvey (2016–2017) and followed recovery until March 2019. The multiyear analysis determined that all four sites experienced varying levels of recovery by 2018. UAV surveys conducted in 2022 showed potential in acquiring topographic data for comparison with 2019 beach-dune conditions.

Quantifying the Impact of Hurricane Harvey on Beach−Dune Systems of the Central Texas Coast and Monitoring Their Changes Using UAV Photogrammetry

“…Additionally, we performed UAV surveys in select, local sections along the shore to analyze the present-day state of the dune−beach complexes and net changes during the last four years. This work follows similar methods seen in [30], however, evaluates a different area and attempts to quantify beach−dune changes due to Harvey using the following objectives: (1) quantifying shoreline changes between 2016 and 2018 to assess shoreline retreat, (2) quantifying elevation changes between 2016 and 2018 to identify areas of significant dune erosion, (3) describing the morphologies of beach−dune systems from UAV-derived imagery and digital terrain models at three selected sites, and (4) evaluating elevation changes between 2018 and 2022 at these sites to identify areas of erosion and/or deposition and relating them to the morphology of each barrier island. Therefore, the novelty of this study includes an evaluation of the impact of a major storm on the beach−dune systems of the central Texas coast and their post-storm changes using higher resolution data sets than previously employed.…”

“…A previous study completed a generalized change map comparing pre-and post-Hurricane Harvey lidar and identified erosional areas along the upper Texas coast. Additionally, the authors evaluated the morphological changes to the west end of Galveston Island and the east end of Follett's Island after Hurricane Harvey by comparing 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2018/2019 lidar data and 2022 UAV-derived topographic data [30].…”