Geology Setting Management Options Management Structure WFF = Wallops Flight Facility LST = Longshore sediment transport SLR = Sea level rise September 29, 2015
Accomack County/Accomack Northampton County PDC Town of Chincoteague The Nature Conservancy NASA Wallops Fish and Wildlife Service National Park Service Commonwealth of Virginia US Army Corps of Engineers Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
2010-Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Working Group (CAWG) 2014- TNC/ANPDC Two year Grant- Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resilience Funds to enhance coastal resilience from NFWF, Dept of the Interior 2014- MACRI Mid-Atlantic Coastal Resilience Institute 2009- MARCO- Mid-Atlantic Council on the Ocean, E. Shore North coast SAMP (Special Area Management Plan) UVA- Long-term Ecological Research Project (LTER) 2015 FWS Chinocteague and Wallops Island NWR Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan, CCP NASA Wallops Environmental Assessments for Shore projects NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC); WFF and Marine Science Consortium (MSC) Research Collaboration.
Wallops Assateague Chincoteague Inlet (WACI) Coastal Management Reach Fenster and Bundick 2015
Geologic/Physical Setting/shore change: Cape Henlopen to Cape Charles Coastal plain structure a function of oceanic transgression/regression Wisconsin: Latest SLR Assateague Island Shore change Inlet history Wallops Island NASA History of shore management Sandy Impact Chincoteague Inlet Geomorphic development Hydrodynamic Setting: Sea level rise, wave climate
1. mixed-energy, tide dominated Barrier islands 2. wave-dominated barriers an spits 3. Eroding headlands 4. Cuspate spits Mcbride et al. 2013
Basic sediment transport Pathways for barrier islands Along the mid-atlantic coast Modified from Kraft et al 1987, In Rankin 2009.
Coastal Plain stratigraphy Coastal plain terraces. Much of Chesapeake Bay was Incised after the Yorktown marine transgression (Ty) Johnson et al 1999
Depositional model of surficial Pleistocene deposit In the Delmarva Penisula. Jordan 1962
A reconstruction of early Holocene paleogeography of the Delmarva Coastal Plain (Oertel, Allen, & Foyle, 2008)
Extent of last glaciation 20,000 years BP. Sea level 400 ft lower Mid-Atlantic coastline 65 miles to east FEMA 2011 Hazard Mitigation Plan Va E.Shore
Canada Virginia Earth Crust During the last ice age Glacial rebound in northern US/Canada causing local subsidence As the glaciers melted...
Coleman et al 1990
Kraft 1971
McBride et al 2013
Delmarva North: Cape Henlopen To Fishing Point Hapke et al 2010
Did lack of inlets by 1880 allow for increased LST to the south and Creation of Fishing Point? From Seminack and McBride, 2015
Historic Inlets along Assateague Island Seminack and Mcbridge 2015
Spit evolution And creation of CCP May 2014
CCP May 2014
FWS CCP May 14
Proposed Beach fill: 1.5 million cy @ $24 million Re-nourish every 3-7 years: 300,000 cy @ $8.3 million Appendix J CCP May 2014
Proposed area of beach location Looking north: Note fence posts along Top of dune from past dune Stabilization efforts Hardaway 8.5.14
Proposed beach re-location: Looking north Hardaway 8.5.14
King et al., 2011
According to Field, 1980, the linear offshore ridges may be relict Or stranded shoreline features from lower stand of sea level. There is further evidence that the ridges might migrate with time, Southward and often due to storms. Field 1980
Extensive offshore shoals: many sand Rich and potential source of beach sand. The black dots indicate fine-medium Sand thicknesses of > 3 m. Field 1980
Delmarva South Wallops Island To Cape Charles Hapke et al 2010
Note: ebb shoals at each inlet which interrupt LST Fenster and Bundick 2015
The following series Shows the growth of Fishing point and the Did closure of most inlet On Assateague Island
King et al., 2011
Wallops Island December 1959 Wallops Island Seawall October 1956
Mechanically filled section at Wallops Island after the Ash Wednesday Storm Breach Wallops Island Groin Field 1969
Evolution of Assawoman Inlet Fenster and Bundick, 2015
Did closure of Assawoman Inlet allows for increased LST? Fenster and Bundick, 2015
Sediment Budget Analysis Current LST predictions (1986 Morang 2006 (frommn 1986)
King et al 2011 GENESIS wave model
Dominant waves attack From NE quad King et al., 2011
Result of GENESIS modeling Note: LST nodal zone After King et 2011
Wallops Island 2012 Pre-Beach Fill
King et al., 2011
Conceptual Initial Fill Placement Conceptual Renourishment Fill Placement King et al., 2011
Beach fill = about 4.0 million cy from the larger fill in 2012 (3.2 million cy) and in 2014 (0.7 million cy).
Beach loss due to Sandy = About 800,000 cy Losses offshore and landward as well as along shore.
NASA, 2013 Typical beach profile at WFF: before and after placement; post- Sandy
WFF Looking south at washover And old Assawoman Inlet Hardaway Feb 2013
WFF looking south, Post-Sandy Feb 2013
WFF looking south, USACE, 2015
WFF looking south, USACE 2015
WACI Alongshore sediment characteristics According to Moffatt Nickol about 5% Of LST from Ass Is bypasses Chino Inlet Shoal gets to Wallops Is. Figure from: Fenster and Bundick 2015
Chincoteague Inlet 1949 Aerial Photo
Chincoteague Inlet Navigation Channel Showing infilling From shoal on Fishing Point Side of channel
Chincoteague Inlet dredging history. Morang et al., 2006
Management Elements WACI: Wallops Island, Assateague Island and Chincoteague Inlet Wallops Island: Shore protection efforts Assateague Island: public Isthmus Chincoteague Inlet dredging, harbor of refuge Toms Cove aquaculture
CCRM 2013
Curt Smith 2015
Curtis Smith 2015
Beach nourishment has been Removed from consideration
CC[c C C
State subaqueous resources
2010-Eastern Shore Climate Adaptation Working Group (CAWG) 2014- TNC/ANPDC Two year Grant- Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resilience Funds to enhance coastal resilience from NFWF, Dept of the Interior 2014- MACRI Mid-Atlantic Coastal Resilience Institute 2009- MARCO- Mid-Atlantic Council on the Ocean, E. Shore North coast SAMP (Special Area Management Plan) UVA- Long-term Ecological Research Project (LTER) 2015 FWS Chinocteague and Wallops Island NWR Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan, CCP NASA Wallops Environmental Assessments for Shore projects NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC); WFF and Marine Science Consortium (MSC) Research Collaboration.
On Assateague Island: What it the long term plan for the new beach? Will allowing inlets/breaches to remain open along Assateague Is reduce LST and threatened the Will WFF beach fill increase shoaling in Chincoteague Inlet? What is the contribution (s) of LST into Chinoteague Inlet? How was Chincoteague Inlet formed? Can Chincoteague Inlet dredge material be put on shore either at WFF or Assateague Is? How can the fines be utilized? Thin layering across tidal marsh? What are LST impacts of WFF beach fill to Assawoman Is and backbarrier marshes? Is back passing WFF beach a viable option?