Observation and modeling of the evolution of an ephemeral storm-induced inlet: Pea Island Breach, North Carolina, USA

Montoya, Liliana Velasquez; Sciaudone, Elizabeth J.; Mitášová, Helena; Overton, Margery F.

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2018.02.002

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…If successful, this design approach could be applied in other barrier settings in which unfilled backbarrier accommodation has left the fronting island vulnerable to sand loss or breaching. Examples include Pea Island along North Carolina's Outer Banks (Montoya et al, 2018); Tom's Cove Isthmus along southern Assateague Island, Virginia (Shawler et al, 2021b); southern Long Beach Island, New Jersey (Rogers et al, 2015), multiple vulnerable sites along Fire Island, New York (Hapke et al, 2013); and elsewhere along the Virginia Barrier Islands themselves (e.g., southern Metompkin Island; Walters et al, 2014). A single federal agency or non-governmental organizations (i.e., National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy) own and manage each of these barriers; management, design, and permitting considerations are likely to be simplified as compared with Cedar Island.…”

Section: Summary and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging the Interdependencies Between Barrier Islands and Backbarrier Saltmarshes to Enhance Resilience to Sea-Level Rise

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Barrier islands and their backbarrier saltmarshes have a reciprocal relationship: aeolian and storm processes transport sediment from the beaches and dunes to create and build marshes along the landward fringe of the island. In turn, these marshes exert a stabilizing influence on the barrier by widening the barrier system and forming a platform onto which the island migrates, consequently slowing landward barrier migration and inhibiting storm breaching. Here, we present a novel framework for applying these natural interdependencies to managing coastal systems and enhancing barrier-island resilience. Further, we detail application of these principles through a case study of the design of a marsh creation project that showcases the interdisciplinary engagement of scientists, engineers, stakeholders, and policymakers. Specifically, we describe: (1) the ecologic, sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and morphologic data obtained from the southern 4 km of Cedar Island (Virginia, United States) and nearby backbarrier tidal channels, tidal flats, and flood-tidal deltas, and (2) the use of those data to develop an engineering and design plan for the construction of a high (46 ha) and low (42 ha) fringing marsh platform located behind the island, proximal to a former ephemeral inlet. Additionally, we chronicle the process used to narrow five initial alternative designs to the optimal final plan. This process involved balancing best-available existing science and models, considering design and financial constraints, identifying stakeholder preferences, and maximizing restoration benefits of habitat provision and shoreline protection. Construction of this marsh would: (1) provide additional habitat and ecosystem benefits, (2) slow the rapid migration (up to 15 m/yr at present) of the barrier island, and (3) hinder island breaching. Ultimately, this project – presently at the final design and permitting stage – may enhance the storm and sea-level rise resilience of the island, backbarrier marshes and lagoons, and the mainland town community; and provide an example of a novel science-based approach to coastal resilience that could be applied to other global barrier settings.

show abstract

Section: Summary and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging the Interdependencies Between Barrier Islands and Backbarrier Saltmarshes to Enhance Resilience to Sea-Level Rise

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Pea Island Breach was as deep as 3.5 m and had minimum and maximum widths on the order of 30 and 70 m, respectively. Pea Island Breach remained open for 2 years and its natural closure has been attributed to sediment infilling caused by seasonal storms (Safak et al 2016;Velasquez-Montoya et al 2018).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Oregon Inlet to Pea Island Breaching

Velásquez-Montoya¹,

Sciaudone²,

Overton³

2018

Int. Conf. Coastal. Eng.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aims to assess the effects of a new inlet on the hydrodynamics of a semi-permanent tidal inlet and the back-barrier sound. Research on dual-inlet interactions is motivated by the increased vulnerability of barrier islands to breaching during hurricanes, phenomenon that can have important consequences on the hydrodynamics and morphology of a barrier island system with pre-existing inlets. This particular study takes place in the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina, where Oregon Inlet is the main inlet connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound. During Hurricane Irene in 2011, Pea Island â€“ the island south of Oregon Inlet â€“ was breached creating a new inlet that remained open until 2013. Dual-inlet interactions between Oregon Inlet and the new inlet in Pea Island are analyzed by means of numerical modeling experiments. Changes in flow velocities, water levels, and the tidal prism of Oregon Inlet due to the new inlet are computed for different wave and water level conditions. In addition to the actual inlet that opened in 2011, the effects of idealized inlets with different geometries and location are also included in this study. Results indicate that the original breach in Pea Island did not modify the dynamics of Oregon Inlet. Instead, its effects were restricted to a 5 km radius that extended mostly into the sound. The relative small size of the breach and its distance from Oregon Inlet are the two main factors that prevented dual-inlet interaction. Exploration of idealized breaching scenarios in Pea Island suggests that inlet spacing and breaching geometry play a major role in multiple inlet stability theory.

show abstract

“…Many of the world's coastlines feature highly dynamic intermittent/ephemeral coastal inlets (also referred to as tidal inlets, entrances, mouths) that close when fluvial or tidal flows are insufficient to prevent coastal sediments from infilling the inlet channel via longshore drift, aeolian transport, and wave processes (Haines et al, 2006;Hayes and FitzGerald, 2013;McSweeney et al, 2017;Moore and Murray, 2019;Otvos, 2020;Roy et al, 2001;van Ormondt et al, 2020). These intermittent coastal inlets can substantially influence the hydrodynamics, morphology and ecology of often extensive sheltered estuarine/lagoon environments on the landward side of the inlet (Velasquez Montoya et al, 2018), which provide numerous ecosystem services including storm protection, carbon sequestration, recreation and fisheries productivity (Moore and Murray, 2019;Newton et al, 2018;Scanes et al, 2020). Examples of intermittent coastal inlets include those that form after major coastal storms at barrier island systems, such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina, U.S. (Moore and Murray, 2019;van Ormondt et al, 2020;Velasquez Montoya et al, 2018), or those found at the downstream end of over 1477+ documented intermittent estuaries worldwide (McSweeney et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introduction 11 Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These intermittent coastal inlets can substantially influence the hydrodynamics, morphology and ecology of often extensive sheltered estuarine/lagoon environments on the landward side of the inlet (Velasquez Montoya et al, 2018), which provide numerous ecosystem services including storm protection, carbon sequestration, recreation and fisheries productivity (Moore and Murray, 2019;Newton et al, 2018;Scanes et al, 2020). Examples of intermittent coastal inlets include those that form after major coastal storms at barrier island systems, such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina, U.S. (Moore and Murray, 2019;van Ormondt et al, 2020;Velasquez Montoya et al, 2018), or those found at the downstream end of over 1477+ documented intermittent estuaries worldwide (McSweeney et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introduction 11 Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

InletTracker: An open-source Python toolkit for historic and near real-time monitoring of coastal inlets from Landsat and Sentinel-2

Heimhuber

Vos

et al. 2021

Geomorphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Observation and modeling of the evolution of an ephemeral storm-induced inlet: Pea Island Breach, North Carolina, USA

Cited by 20 publications

References 35 publications

Leveraging the Interdependencies Between Barrier Islands and Backbarrier Saltmarshes to Enhance Resilience to Sea-Level Rise

Leveraging the Interdependencies Between Barrier Islands and Backbarrier Saltmarshes to Enhance Resilience to Sea-Level Rise

Response of Oregon Inlet to Pea Island Breaching

InletTracker: An open-source Python toolkit for historic and near real-time monitoring of coastal inlets from Landsat and Sentinel-2

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About