Date of Award
Fall 12-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Major Professor
Georgiou, Ioannis
Second Advisor
Miner, Michael
Third Advisor
O'Connell, Martin
Abstract
Barrier island restoration and nourishment is necessary for sustaining coastal systems worldwide. In the Mississippi River Delta Plain, the lack of sediment supply, relative sea level rise, and reworking of abandoned delta lobes promote rapid disintegration of barriers, which can contribute to mainland storm impacts. Barrier island restorations that utilize higher quality sediments (Outer Continental Shelf- OCS) are expected to exhibit higher resiliency, withstanding coastal erosion, event-induced erosion, and ongoing transgression when compared to barriers nourished using lower quality nearshore (NS) sands. Additionally, use of OCS sediments increases sediment supply by adding material to the system supporting increased barrier longevity by maintaining a subaerial footprint longer compared to NS sediments. We used the Delft3D modeling suite to study barrier geomorphic trajectories nourished using OCS/NS sands, compared with control simulations with no nourishment. Resulting morphologies from 18 simulations with forcing that included annualized forcing, storms, and SLR are evaluated and compared.
Recommended Citation
Kime, Brittany, "The Effects of Sediment Properties on Barrier Island Morphology and Processes: A Numerical Modeling Experiment" (2018). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2571.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2571
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.