Chapter
Apr 26, 2012

Barrier Island Vulnerability to Breaching: A Case Study on Dauphin Island, Alabama

Publication: Coastal Sediments '07

Abstract

Breaching of barrier islands can adversely impact society by severing infrastructure, destroying private properties, and altering water quality in back bays and estuaries. This study provides a scheme that assesses the relative vulnerability of a barrier island to breach during storms. Dauphin Island, Alabama was selected for this study because it has a well documented history of island breaches and extensive geological and geomorphic data. To assess the vulnerability of the island, we defined several variables contributing to the risk of breaching: island geology, breaching history, and island topography and geomorphology. These variables were combined to form a breaching index (BI) value for cross island computational bins, each bin every 50 m in the alongshore direction. Results suggest the eastern section of Dauphin Island has the lowest risk of breaching with the remaining portion of the island having a moderate to high risk of breaching. Two reaches in the western section of the island were found to be particularly vulnerable due primarily to their minimal cross-sectional dimensions.

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Go to Coastal Sediments '07
Coastal Sediments '07
Pages: 2002 - 2010

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Published online: Apr 26, 2012

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Mark Hansen [email protected]
U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Coastal and Watershed Studies, 600 4th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4846. E-mail: [email protected]
Asbury H. Sallenger [email protected]
U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Coastal and Watershed Studies, 600 4th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4846. E-mail: [email protected]

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