Metrics
54 File views/ downloads
47 Record Views
Thesis
MORPHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA ON PETIT BOIS ISLAND, MISSISSIPPI
University of West Florida
Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida
2008
Abstract
Petit Bois Island, Mississippi, experienced beach erosion and widespread overwash due to direct wave impact and inundation during Hurricane Katrina (September 2005). Subaerial changes to the island were documented through the use of LiDAR collected by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Subaqueous changes were examined through the use of sonar data collected in May and June 2006 following the storm. Empirical orthogonal functions analysis and canonical correlation analysis were used to identify patterns in the island’s poststorm response in relation to the prestorm morphology. It was found that the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the island varied in response to the vertical geometry of the island. Subaerial morphologic change was greatest toward the western end of the island, where dune connectivity was lower. High surge level and elevated wave energy caused island topography to exhibit a similar response to nearshore bar. Increase in water depth within the nearshore allowed storm waves to shoal closer to the island and, in some cases, on top of the island. In this case, the island itself became the landward-most bar with island sediments becoming part of the surf zone transported by undertow currents.
Details
- Title
- MORPHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA ON PETIT BOIS ISLAND, MISSISSIPPI
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Publisher
- University of West Florida
- Format
- text
- Identifiers
- 99380090854406600
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Master of Science (MS)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), University of West Florida