EOF analysis of morphological response to Hurricane Ivan

Houser, Chris (author)
Hamilton, Stuart (author)
Meyer-Arendt, Klaus (author)
Oravetz, Jonathan (author)

6th International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes, New Orleans, LA

2007

Hurricane Ivan, a Category-3 hurricane, came ashore near Gulf Shores, Alabama, on September 16, 2004. Santa Rosa Island, Florida, was within the Northeast quadrant of the storm and subject to surge heights in excess of 3 m. As a result the area suffered significant sediment loss (>200 m³ m⁻¹) and widespread overwash and breaching. Morphological changes were quantified by comparing LIDAR images collected before and after landfall. In general, the morphological changes exhibited an alongshore variation at a range of scales (<1 km), consistent with the variation in foredune height prior to the storm. Using multivariate statistics it is found that this variation not only depends on the height of the foredune (relative to the surge elevation) but also on the alongshore extent of the dune and the presence and relative location of the secondary dunes. This alongshore variation will affect the recovery of the dunes, reinforcing the observed patterns.

uwf:22678