Large-scale coastal impact induced by a catastrophic storm

Mikkel Fruergaard; Thorbjørn Joest Andersen; Peter N Johannessen; Lars Henrik Nielsen; Morten Pejrup

Abstract

Catastrophic storms and storm surges induce rapid and substantial changes along sandy barrier coasts, potentially causing severe environmental and economic damage. Coastal impacts of modern storms are associated with washover deposition, dune erosion, barrier breaching, and coastline and shoreface erosion. Little is however known about the impact of major storms and their post-storm coastal recovery on geologic and historic evolution of barrier systems. We apply high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence dating on a barrier system in the Wadden Sea (Denmark) and show that 5 to 8 meters of marine sand accumulated in an aggrading-prograding shoal and on a prograding shoreface during and within 3 to 4 decades (“healing phase”) after the most destructive storm documented for the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, we show that the impact of this storm caused large-scale shoreline erosion and barrier breaching. Our results demonstrate that violent, millennial-scale storms can trigger significant large-scale and long-term changes on barrier coasts, and that coastal changes assumed to take place over centuries or even millennia may occur in association with a single extreme storm event.

Original language	English
Publication date	2014
Publication status	Published - 2014
Event	Ocean Sciences Meeting 2014 - Honolulu, United States Duration: 23 Feb 2014 → 28 Feb 2014

Conference

Conference	Ocean Sciences Meeting 2014
Country/Territory	United States
City	Honolulu
Period	23/02/2014 → 28/02/2014

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

Fruergaard et al. 2014 - OSM-abstract - Large-scale coastalo impact

http://www.sgmeet.com/osm2014/viewabstract.asp?AbstractID=14740

Cite this

@conference{6c049d44b9df4eb19ab91a8bd3a31fff,

title = "Large-scale coastal impact induced by a catastrophic storm",

abstract = "Catastrophic storms and storm surges induce rapid and substantial changes along sandy barrier coasts, potentially causing severe environmental and economic damage. Coastal impacts of modern storms are associated with washover deposition, dune erosion, barrier breaching, and coastline and shoreface erosion. Little is however known about the impact of major storms and their post-storm coastal recovery on geologic and historic evolution of barrier systems. We apply high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence dating on a barrier system in the Wadden Sea (Denmark) and show that 5 to 8 meters of marine sand accumulated in an aggrading-prograding shoal and on a prograding shoreface during and within 3 to 4 decades (“healing phase”) after the most destructive storm documented for the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, we show that the impact of this storm caused large-scale shoreline erosion and barrier breaching. Our results demonstrate that violent, millennial-scale storms can trigger significant large-scale and long-term changes on barrier coasts, and that coastal changes assumed to take place over centuries or even millennia may occur in association with a single extreme storm event.",

author = "Mikkel Fruergaard and Andersen, {Thorbj{\o}rn Joest} and Johannessen, {Peter N} and Nielsen, {Lars Henrik} and Morten Pejrup",

year = "2014",

language = "English",

note = "Ocean Sciences Meeting 2014, OSM ; Conference date: 23-02-2014 Through 28-02-2014",

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TY - ABST

T1 - Large-scale coastal impact induced by a catastrophic storm

AU - Fruergaard, Mikkel

AU - Andersen, Thorbjørn Joest

AU - Johannessen, Peter N

AU - Nielsen, Lars Henrik

AU - Pejrup, Morten

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Catastrophic storms and storm surges induce rapid and substantial changes along sandy barrier coasts, potentially causing severe environmental and economic damage. Coastal impacts of modern storms are associated with washover deposition, dune erosion, barrier breaching, and coastline and shoreface erosion. Little is however known about the impact of major storms and their post-storm coastal recovery on geologic and historic evolution of barrier systems. We apply high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence dating on a barrier system in the Wadden Sea (Denmark) and show that 5 to 8 meters of marine sand accumulated in an aggrading-prograding shoal and on a prograding shoreface during and within 3 to 4 decades (“healing phase”) after the most destructive storm documented for the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, we show that the impact of this storm caused large-scale shoreline erosion and barrier breaching. Our results demonstrate that violent, millennial-scale storms can trigger significant large-scale and long-term changes on barrier coasts, and that coastal changes assumed to take place over centuries or even millennia may occur in association with a single extreme storm event.

AB - Catastrophic storms and storm surges induce rapid and substantial changes along sandy barrier coasts, potentially causing severe environmental and economic damage. Coastal impacts of modern storms are associated with washover deposition, dune erosion, barrier breaching, and coastline and shoreface erosion. Little is however known about the impact of major storms and their post-storm coastal recovery on geologic and historic evolution of barrier systems. We apply high-resolution optically stimulated luminescence dating on a barrier system in the Wadden Sea (Denmark) and show that 5 to 8 meters of marine sand accumulated in an aggrading-prograding shoal and on a prograding shoreface during and within 3 to 4 decades (“healing phase”) after the most destructive storm documented for the Wadden Sea. Furthermore, we show that the impact of this storm caused large-scale shoreline erosion and barrier breaching. Our results demonstrate that violent, millennial-scale storms can trigger significant large-scale and long-term changes on barrier coasts, and that coastal changes assumed to take place over centuries or even millennia may occur in association with a single extreme storm event.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - Ocean Sciences Meeting 2014

Y2 - 23 February 2014 through 28 February 2014

ER -