Bathymetric Comparisons Adjacent to the Louisiana Barrier Islands: Processes of Large-scale Change

Authors

  • Jeffrey H. List
  • Bruce E. Jaffe
  • Asbury H. Sallenger
  • Mark E. Hansen

Keywords:

Erosion, sea-floor change, sediment budget, sea-level rise, ebb-tidal delta, Louisiana, Mississippi Delta

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of a comparative bathymetric study encompassing 150 km of the Louisiana barrier island coast. Bathymetric data surrounding the islands and extending to 12 m water depth were processed from three survey periods: the 1880s, the 1930s, and the 1980s. Digital comparisons between surveys show large-scale, coherent patterns of sea-floor erosion and accretion related to the rapid erosion and disintegration of the islands. Analysis of the sea-floor data reveals two primary processes driving this change: massive longshore transport, in the littoral zone and at shoreface depths; and increased sediment storage in ebb-tidal deltas. Relative sea-level rise, although extraordinarily high in the study area, is shown to be an indirect factor in causing the area's rapid shoreline retreat rates.

Downloads

Published

1997-07-05

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (1997): Journal of Coastal Research

Section

Special Thematic Section

License

Authorization for personal use is granted by the Coastal Education and Research Foundation [CERF]. By submitting a manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for their article is transferred to the publisher if the article is accepted for publication. Assignment of copyright is not required, however, from authors who work for organizations which do not permit such assignment, The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reprduce and distribute the article, inclduing reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, or any other reproductions of a similar nature, and translations.