Dune Monitoring Data Update Summary

The Shoreline Studies Program at VIMS established a beach and dune monitoring program for nine sites around the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay (Milligan et al., 2005). These sites were monitored twice yearly for four years (2001-2004). In addition to three years of relatively calm conditions, these data included the impact of Hurricane Isabel, a nearly 100-yr event, on the Bay’s shorelines. The shoreline’s change due to the storm and their subsequent short-term recovery was documented by this data. However, since the end of the monitoring program, other events have impacted Chesapeake Bay shorelines. In order to document the longer-term recovery of these systems, additional monitoring is necessary. Several of these sites are man-influenced and have upland development behind the dune. Understanding storm impacts and shoreline recovery is critical knowledge when determining the suitability of living shoreline options (i.e. beach/dune) in higher energy environments. In addition, the overall stability of these sites and their response to physical forces can provide important information when developing guidelines for beach and dune encroachment

Shoreline Evolution: City of Poquoson, Virginia Poquoson River, Chesapeake Bay, and Back River Shorelines

The purpose of this data report is to document how the shore zone of Poquoson has evolved since 1937. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year, and can be used to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how 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. The change in shore positions along the rivers and larger creeks in the City of Poquoson will be quantified in this report. The shorelines of very irregular coasts, small creeks around inlets, and other complicated areas, will be shown but not quantified

Shoreline Evolution: City of Newport News, Virginia James River and Hampton Roads Shorelines

Shoreline evolution is the change in the shore zone through time. Along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, it is a process and 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 data report is to document how the shore zone of Newport News (Figure 1) has evolved since 1937. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year, and can be used to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how 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. The change in shore positions along the rivers and larger creeks in the City of Newport News will be quantified in this report. The shorelines of very irregular coasts, small creeks around inlets, and other complicated areas, will be shown but not quantified

Shoreline Evolution: York County, Virginia York River, Chesapeake Bay and Poquoson River Shorelines

The purpose of this data report is to document how the shore zone of York (Figure 1) has evolved since 1937. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year,and can be used to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how 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. The change in shore positions along the rivers and larger creeks in York County will be quantified in this report. The shorelines of very irregular coasts, small creeks around inlets, and other complicated areas, will be shown but not quantified

Shoreline Evolution: Gloucester County, Virginia York River, Mobjack Bay, and Piankatank River Shorelines

Shoreline evolution is the change in the shore zone through time. Along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, it is a process and 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 data report is to document how the shore zone of Gloucester (Figure 1) has evolved since 1937. Aerial imagery was taken for most of the Bay region beginning that year, and can be used to assess the geomorphic nature of shore change. Aerial imagery shows how 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. The change in shore positions along the rivers and larger creeks in Gloucester County will be quantified in this report. The shorelines of very irregular coasts, small creeks around inlets, and other complicated areas, will be shown but not quantified

New Point Comfort Lighthouse Mathews, Virginia Site Assessment Plan

New Point Comfort is located at the southern tip of Mathews County (Figure 1) between Chesapeake and Mobjack Bays. The New Point Comfort Lighthouse itself is on an island (Figure 2) that was once attached to the mainland but is now almost 0.6 miles from the mainland and only 0.33 acres in area above mean low water. Previous studies have highlighted the problems which contribute to the instability of the island. McKay (2003) listed these factors which may allow continued erosion and potential damage up to and including the base of the lighthouse itself: rise in sea level, low base grade of the lighthouse, low crest of the existing rock revetment, not enough mass or numbers of rock in the revetment to fully dissipate the wave energy before it reaches the soil below, improper grading of the revetment rock where smaller rocks are inside and larger rocks on the outer layers, inadequately sized stone for the outer armor to combat the “design event”, inadequate lateral space between the crest of the revetment and the lighthouse to reduce the effects of wave run-up, wave overtopping and spray reaching the lighthouse structure. In fact, McKay (2003) rated the integrity and stability of the rock revetment around the lighthouse as poor to grave and would not remain intact after experiencing a large storm event. This report will provide the necessary steps to be taken for immediate preservation of the lighthouse. A survey of existing conditions was performed as was a review of existing data. Storm surge levels were determined by analyzing data and models available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Hydrodynamic modeling of storm events showed their environmental impact including the wave climate and water levels impacting the lighthouse under energetic conditions so that proper rock size, structure height, slope and toe size can be determined. The minimum stabilization solution consists of increasing the dimensions of the existing armor stone revetment that surrounds the light house

Shore Status, Evolution, and Storm Vulnerability Assessments for George Washington Birthplace National Monument

The shoreline at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument (GEWA) is eroding and vulnerable to storms. Recent storms, such as Hurricane Isabel and Tropical Storm Ernesto impacted the region in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Large losses of the bank prompted the National Park Service to determine the vulnerability of the shore and its associated cultural, natural and archeological resources. This project maps the existing shoreline along the Potomac River and at the Memorial House on Popes Creek, provides an assessment of shore and bank dynamics, determines the rate of shoreline change between 1937 and 2007, and presents an analysis of vulnerability for the park. The shoreline at GEWA is varied with high, vertical eroding banks and low swampy drainage areas with fronting beaches along the Potomac River which are eroding at an average rate of 1 ft/yr (0.3 m/yr). However, storm induced losses can be greater; as much as 30 ft of bank was lost along sections of the park between 2002 and 2007. In Popes Creek, extensive and fringing marshes are eroding at lower rates, 0.3 to 0.7 ft/yr (0.1-0.2 m/yr). Vulnerability from a management perspective took into account bank height, shore type, erosion rates, proximity to infrastructure, and potential loss of archaeological resources. Three areas or 3,800 ft (1,200 m) of shoreline were rated as most vulnerable and two areas or 1,000 ft (300 m) were rated as vulnerable

Tidewater Virginia\u27s Non-Jurisdictional Beach Assessment - 2006

Seventeen of Virginia\u27s coastal localities were analyzed to determine the extent of their beach resources presently not being managed by the Coastal Primary Sand Dunes and Beaches Act1 (Dune Act). Aerial video of the James River (Isle of Wight, Surry, and Prince George, Charles City, James City, and Newport News), the York River (York, New Kent, King William, King and Queen, and Gloucester), the Rappahannock River (Middlesex, Essex, and Richmond), and the Potomac River (Westmoreland, King George, and Stafford) determined the extent of beaches in each locale. The localities studied are shown in Figure 1. The Dune Act manages dunes in eight Virginia localities, Accomack, Hampton, Lancaster, Mathews, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, and Virginia Beach and as such were not part of this project. This project is intended to provide guidance on the amount of beach resources not being managed presently in localities outside the eight jurisdictional localities of the Dune Act. As defined by the code of Virginia ( § 28.2-1400), “Beach” means the shoreline zone comprised of unconsolidated sandy material upon which there is a mutual interaction of the forces of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition that extends from the low water line landward to where there is a marked change in either material composition or physiographic form such as a dune, bluff, or marsh or where no such change can be identified, to the line of woody vegetation (usually the effective limit of storm waves), or the nearest impermeable manmade structure, such as a bulkhead, revetment, or paved road. For this report, this definition of beaches was used. Non-vegetated wetlands are defined by Code of Virginia as un-vegetated lands lying contiguous to mean low water (MLW) and between mean low water and mean high water (MHW) ( § 28.2-1300). Since beaches, as defined above, must have sand above MHW to some landward limit, the many instances where vegetation extends to MHW were not counted as beach shoreline. They were considered the vegetated part of the intertidal zone or non-vegetated wetlands, but not a beach. In addition to determining the distribution of beaches in the non-jurisdictional localities, this project also tallied a specific set of descriptors of the beaches. The measurements and parameters were input to a Geographic Information System (GIS) for ease of viewing and summarizing. From these data, individual locality data were summarized. In addition, site types were grouped by region or river system to determine beach type frequency

Combinatorial gene therapy accelerates bone regeneration: non-viral dual delivery of VEGF and BMP2 in a collagen-nanohydroxyapatite scaffold.

Vascularization and bone repair are accelerated by a series of gene-activated scaffolds delivering both an angiogenic and an osteogenic gene. Stem cell-mediated osteogenesis in vitro, in addition to increased vascularization and bone repair by host cells in vivo, is enhanced using all systems while the use of the nanohydroxyapatite vector to deliver both genes markedly enhances bone healing

The impact of smoke exposure on the clinical phenotype of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in Ireland: exploiting a national registry to understand a rare disease.

Individuals with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) have mutations in the SERPINA1 gene causing genetic susceptibility to early onset lung and liver disease that may result in premature death. Environmental interactions have a significant impact in determining the disease phenotype and outcome in AATD. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of smoke exposure on the clinical phenotype of AATD in Ireland. Clinical demographics and available thoracic computerised tomography (CT) imaging were detected from 139 PiZZ individuals identified from the Irish National AATD Registry. Clinical information was collected by questionnaire. Data was analysed to assess AATD disease severity and evaluate predictors of clinical phenotype. Questionnaires were collected from 107/139 (77%) and thoracic CT evaluation was available in 72/107 (67.2%). 74% of respondents had severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (GOLD stage C or D). Cigarette smoking was the greatest predictor of impairment in FEV1 and DLCO (%predicted) and the extent of emphysema correlated most significantly with DLCO. Interestingly the rate of FEV1 decline was similar in ex-smokers when compared to never-smokers. Passive smoke exposure in childhood resulted in a greater total pack-year smoking history. Radiological evidence of bronchiectasis was a common finding and associated with increasing age. The Irish National AATD Registry facilitates clinical and basic science research of this condition in Ireland. This study illustrates the detrimental effect of smoke exposure on the clinical phenotype of AATD in Ireland and the benefit of immediate smoking cessation at any stage of lung disease