Investigation of Morphosedimentary Processes on a Schematic Louisiana Barrier Island Using Process-Based Numerical Modeling

Although basic causes of barrier island retreat and area loss of Louisiana Barrier Islands are known, there has been limited success in unraveling and quantifying how these processes interact to generate observed barrier island behavior. Processes that make up a conceptual-analytical dynamic morphosedimentary model (DMSM) are evaluated here using a process-based numerical model. The model is specifically used to investigate the morphodynamic behavior of non-cohesive (sand) and cohesive (fines) sediments under different hydrodynamic conditions (mild waves, cold fronts and tropical storms). The primary modeling focus is on the seaward limits of sand deposition during high wave energy conditions and the selective deposition of different grain sizes (sand, clay and silt, and mixed sediments) during low wave energy conditions.