| Abstract: | Over the past 100 years, the Isles Dernieres, a low-lying barrier-island chain along the central Louisiana coast, has eroded extensively. This erosion has resulted in more than 1 km of northward beach-face retreat and the loss of 71% of the total island area. The primary causes for the erosion are wind and wave attack, diminished sand supply, and relative sea-level rise. Five years of detailed topographic surveys show that a beach on the central Isles Dernieres changed significantly in both shape and sediment volume; however, the pattern of change was not the same each year. In contrast to the relatively slow erosion caused by cold fronts, hurricane Gilbert, a category 5 hurricane that passed about 800 km south of the Isles Dernieres in September 1988, produced differential beach-face retreat of about 9 m at mean sea level and 40 m at an elevation of 0.5 m. Most of the sediment eroded from the beach face was deposited on the backshore, which resulted in only a small loss of sediment from the beach and a noteworthy decrease in beach-face slope. During the two years following hurricane Gilbert, the mean-sea-level contour remained stationary while the beach face slowly returned to its pre-Gilbert shape. "Cold-front‘ magnitude of retreat is expected to continue until another large hurricane alters the erosional pattern. -from Authors |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70017913 |
| Citation Author: | Dingler, J. R.; Reiss, T. E.; Plant, N. G. |
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| Citation End Page: | 115 |
| Citation Issue: | 1 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Journal of Coastal Research |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 4 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Erosional patterns of the Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, in relation to meteorological influences; 1993; Article; Journal; Journal of Coastal Research; Dingler, J. R.; Reiss, T. E.; Plant, N. G. |
| Citation Start Page: | 112 |
| Citation Volume: | 9 |
| Citation Year: | 1993 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Erosional patterns of the Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, in relation to meteorological influences; 1993; Article; Journal; Journal of Coastal Research; Dingler, J. R.; Reiss, T. E.; Plant, N. G. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| Date Other: | Fri, 1 Jan 1993 00:00 -0600 |
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