Beach Erosion Dauphin Island
Just east of the park is a large active dune complex that is migrating into the pine forest and burying the trees.
Beach erosion dauphin island. The eastern end of the island has two reaches of shorelines which are receding and a reach of shoreline in between them which is accreting. The island is bounded to the northeast by mobile bay to the north by mississippi sound and the gulf of mexico to the south. The impact of erosion is primarily felt by individuals who have lost their property collier explains. Stumps of former pine trees exposed on the beach at the dauphin island public beach are evidence of long term beach erosion.
The exact area of the project is near historic fort gaines the dauphin island sea lab dauphin island campground and the audubon bird sanctuary. Dramatic shoreline erosion and large overwash deposits along dauphin island during hurricane katrina 2005 demonstrate classic barrier island rollover. As dauphin island native and lifelong resident mayor jeff collier says beach erosion is one of the biggest challenges facing the island. Overwash fans intomississippi sound on the north side of the island were seen on the post stormair photos.
Dauphin island is a drumstick shaped barrier island 16miles 26 km on the western side of the main pass at mobile bay about 48 km 30 miles south of mobile alabama. Beach erosion and deposition in alabama 307 gulf of mexico 100 0 100 200km scale dauphin island n 5 0 5 10km scale gulf of mexico figure 1. This video shows the islands movement over the past 33 years due to a number of things including but not limited to. Beach erosion and deposition along the gulf of mexico beaches of dauphin island alabama were evaluated using air photos beach profiles visual wave observations and historical coastal engineering archives.
Repeated attacks by hurricane waves and surge have taken a toll on dauphin island alabama carving a breach in the narrow island toppling beachfront homes and eroding large stretches of coast. Without a significant and costly beach rebuilding program erosion threatens the survival of the west end of dauphin island as a residential area and leaves the bulk of alabama s coastal marshland. The easternendof the island experienced high water elevations but the higher dune ele. Erosion s impact stretches across the environmental ecological and economic spectrum.
Dauphin island al us.