Virginia Coastal Program: 2003 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2003 Task 91
Grantee:
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Project Title:
Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems - Final Monitoring and Management Analysis
Project Description as Proposed:
This effort will
complete our analysis of dune resources and management in Virginia’s
portion of Chesapeake Bay. We will continue monitoring for an additional
year and create a VIMS web site for facilitation of information
exchange and outreach education.
The specific tasks include:
1) One year of continued dune site monitoring with accompanying
final report.
2) Continue/complete dune-groundwater interaction studies and incorporation
of these results into the final monitoring report.
3) Incorporate dune and sand resource information into recent shallow
water management efforts and pursue functional links between dunes,
beaches, nearshore bars, and SAV habitat suitability.
4) Develop web-based access to project information.
Federal Funding:
$60,000
Project Contact:
Scott Hardaway, 804.684.7277, hardaway@vims.edu
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
This project was aimed at developing an understanding of detailed beach and dune change by monitoring nine primary and secondary dune sites for four years. These sites reflect various wind/wave climates and physical settings around Chesapeake Baby. During the course of this monitoring, Hurricane Isabel impacted the coastal plain of Virginia and significantly altered almost all Bay shorelines to one degree or another in September 2003. This event provided an opportunity to measure the changes to natural dune systems around the Bay due to the storm as well as their recovery after the event.The final report showed that shore protection was of primary importance to this dune assessment. At all sites with both upland development and dunes, no damage occurred during Hurricane Isabel to real property (except possibly flooding which is unavoidable). Arguably, Isabel was a 50 to 100 yr storm event, depending on site location. Several sites lost sections of their primary dune and their secondary dune became a primary dune after the storm. This reveals the intrinsic value of secondary dunes from a coastal hazard perspective and reinforces the stated growth/stability factors of 1) stable setting, 2) sand supply, and 3) conducive hydrodynamic and aerodynamic exposure.
Contradictory results of data analysis for the final report show the complexity of each individual system. Dune sites are quite resilient to storm attack and generally recover quickly. The presence of nearshore bars add to the stability of a site but also result in highly mobile systems which are difficult to categorize. The nearshore attached bars are the deciding factor for stability since they provide the protection needed for the backshore and make sand available for aeolian transport necessary for dune creation. In addition, they provide the sheltered environment necessary for SAV growth. SAV detritus on the shoreline is crucial to dune accretion at several sites. A dune system may serve a role in ground water quality remediation prior to its discharge from upland landscapes that have demonstrated elevated nitrogen loadings into shallow ground water systems.
All monitoring data is available on cd. A copy of the final report
will be given to all the land owners who allowed access to their
property. The final report also will be presented in Adobe Acrobat
format on the Shoreline Studies webpage - http://www.vims.edu/physical/research/shoreline/
Form C end
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
