The Value of Created Dunes to address Coastal Hazards in Chesapeake Bay: Hurricane Isabel Impacts

Perhaps the most important function of a created dune, from some perspectives, is coastal protection. Since the initiation of this subtask within the overall Chesapeake Bay Dune Monitoring and Management Analysis project, Hurricane Isabel impacted the coastal plain of Virginia and significantly altered almost all Bay shorelines to one degree or another. This is particularly true of shorelines facing north, east, and south since the winds shifted as the storm passed. The original task scope has changed slightly as a result of Isabel’s passage since it was such a significant storm event and provided an opportunity to show how dunes created under different conditions responded to the storm. Isabel impacted several of our monitoring sites, part of our ongoing dune research since 2000 (Figure 1). Three of those sites (MA3, NL42, and NL59) have “created dunes” resulting from different anthropogenic activities. The purpose of this data report is to evaluate these sites from a coastal hazard perspective and determine how they performed during Hurricane Isabel and how they have recovered

Shoreline Evolution Chesapeake Bay Shoreline Northampton County, VA

Shoreline evolution is the change in shore position through time. In fact, it is the material resistance of the coastal geologic underpinnings against the impinging hydrodynamic (and aerodynamic) forces. Along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, it is a process-based response system. The processes at work include winds, waves, tides, and currents, which together provide the energy which shapes and modifies coastlines by eroding, transporting, and depositing sediments. The shore line is commonly plotted and measured to provide a rate of change, but it is as important to understand the geomorphic patterns of change. Shore analysis provides the basis to know how a particular coast has changed through time and how it may proceed in the future. The purpose of this report is to document how the Bay shore of Northampton County, Virginia (Figure 1) has evolved since 1938. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year, and it is this imagery that allows one to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how the nature of the coast has changed, how beaches, dunes, bars, and spits have grown or decayed, how barriers have breached, how inlets have changed course, and how one shore type has displaced another or has not changed at all. Shore change is a natural process but, quite often, the impacts of man through shore hardening or inlet stabilization come to dominate a given shore reach. Most of the shore positions will be quantified in this report. Others, particularly very irregular coasts, around inlets, and other areas will be subject to interpretation

Shoreline evolution, Chesapeake Bay shoreline, City of Virginia Beach, Virginia

Shoreline evolution is the change in shore position through time. In fact, it is the material resistance of the coastal geologic underpinnings against the impinging hydrodynamic (and aerodynamic) forces. Along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, it is a process-response system. The processes at work include winds, waves, tides and currents, which shape and modify coastlines by eroding, transporting and depositing sediments. The shore line is commonly plotted and measured to provide a rate of change but it is as important to understand the geomorphic patterns of change. Shore analysis provides the basis to know how a particular coast has changed through time and how it might proceed in the future. The purpose of this report is to document how the Bay shore of Virginia Beach (Figure 1) has evolved since 1937. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year, and it is this imagery that allows one to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how the nature of the coast has changed, how beaches, dunes, bars, and spits have grown or decayed, how barriers have breached, how inlets have changed course, and how one shore type has displaced another or has not changed at all. Shore change is a natural process but, quite often, the impacts of man through shore hardening or inlet stabilization come to dominate a given shore reach. Most of the change in shore positions will be quantified in this report. Others, particularly very irregular coasts, around inlets, and other areas will be subject to interpretation

Shoreline Evolution Chesapeake Bay Shoreline City of Norfolk, VA

Shoreline evolution is the change in shore position through time. In fact, it is the material resistance of the coastal geologic underpinnings against the impinging hydrodynamic (and aerodynamic) forces. Along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, it is a process-response system. The processes at work include winds, waves, tides and currents, which together shape and modify coastlines by eroding, transporting and depositing sediments. The shore line is commonly plotted and measured to provide a rate of change, but it is as important to understand the geomorphic patterns of change. Shore analysis provides the basis to know how a particular coast has changed through time and how it might proceed in the future. The purpose of this report is to document how the Chesapeake Bay shore of Norfolk (Figure 1) has evolved since 1937. This is the first year that aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region, and it is this imagery that allows one to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how the nature of the coast has changed, how beaches, dunes, bars and spits have grown or decayed, how barriers have breached, how inlets have changed course and how one shore type has displaced another or has not changed at all. Shore change is a natural process but, quite often, the impacts of man through shore hardening, beach nourishment or inlet stabilization will come to dominate a given shore reach. Most of the change in shore positions will be quantified in this report. Others, particularly around inlets and very irregular coasts, will be interpreted

The Chesapeake Bay Breakwater Database Project Hurricane Isabel Impacts to Four Breakwater Systems

The Chesapeake Bay Breakwater Database is being developed by personnel in the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s (VIMS) Shoreline Studies Program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in order to: 1) document breakwater system performance around Chesapeake Bay relative to predictions 2) develop guidelines for breakwaters in sand limited and fetch limited systems such as estuaries, reservoirs, lakes and bays

Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Monitoring

This project is aimed at developing an understanding of detailed beach and dune change. During the course of this monitoring, Hurricane Isabel impacted the coastal plain of Virginia and significantly altered almost all Bay shorelines to one degree or another in September 2003. This is particularly true of shorelines facing north, east, and south since the winds shifted as the storm passed. This event provided an opportunity to measure the changes to natural dune systems around the Bay due to the storm as well as their recovery after the event