Geology topics

Noreen A. Buster

Publications and source records attributed to Noreen A. Buster.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

Barrier island geomorphic complexity drives storm and post-storm response

Barrier islands are at the forefront of climate-driven changes, with their resiliency threatened by rapid fluctuations in the physical drivers that shape them. Quantifying magnitudes and directions of storm-driven sediment fluxes and rates and modes of sediment recovery is essential for predicting barrier island trajectories. Yet scarce shoreface observations have limited such efforts. Here, shoreface-inclusive measurements of barrier sediment fluxes over five years following an extreme storm reveal distinct sediment redistribution patterns that vary with island geomorphology. Overwash fluxes were low compared with seaward fluxes, inlet-related landward transport, and previously modeled estimates. Without these observations, models may overestimate island elevation-building capacity that is key to sea-level adaptability. Post-storm recovery was incomplete despite human intervention, altering barrier sediment distribution from pre-storm conditions. This may increase vulnerability to future storms and rising water levels and suggests management approaches tailored to island geometry may better compete with climate change effects.

New York↗

USGS2025

Assessment of active sand volumes at Rockaway Beach and Fire Island in New York and Seven Mile Island in New Jersey

Between 2018 and 2023, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed shoreface sediment availability at three Atlantic Coast barrier island study sites in support of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation project entitled, “Monitoring Hurricane Sandy Beach and Marsh Resilience in New York and New Jersey.” The three study sites are Seven Mile Island, New Jersey, Rockaway Beach peninsula, New York, and Fire Island, N.Y. Previously interpreted geologic boundaries from shoreface geophysical surveys and data from repeat bathymetric surveys at each of the study sites were integrated to quantify the active sediment volume, or the volume of sediment that could contribute to beach and shoreline behavior over annual to decadal time scales. This report describes the methods used to calculate these volumes and the variability of active sediment volume for each survey at the three study sites. Our data show that when shoreface volumes account for varying alongshore extent of each study site, Seven Mile Island and Rockaway Beach peninsula have about 1.5 times the active sediment volume measured at Fire Island.

New York, New Jersey↗

USGS2025

Geologic framework and Holocene sand thickness offshore of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey

The U.S. Geological Survey assessed the Quaternary evolution of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey, to quantify coastal sediment availability, which is crucial for establishing sediment budgets, understanding sediment dispersal, and managing coastlines. This report presents preliminary interpretations of seismic profiles, maps of Holocene sand thickness from the shoreline to 2 kilometers offshore, and tables quantifying the volume of available sediment along the coastal margin based on data collected during 2021 and 2022. The results reveal spatial variability in the thickness and cross-shore extent of Holocene sand. The study area was separated into northern, central, and southern zones by using underlying stratigraphy and geomorphic features. The characteristics and spatial extent of the Holocene sand deposit indicate that hydrodynamic processes contribute to its spatial variability. Northern Seven Mile Island contains the thickest deposits of Holocene sand that were formed by sediment bypass around the Townsends Inlet ebb-tidal delta. Specifically, swash bars have welded to the updrift end of Seven Mile Island and have formed thick deposits of Holocene sand that thicken landward and taper seaward. Despite their thickness, these deposits have the smallest cross-shore extent; therefore, northern Seven Mile Island has the smallest volume of Holocene sand of the three geomorphic zones. Central Seven Mile Island has the thinnest Holocene sand deposits because this section of the barrier island is outside the influence of ebb-tidal deltas. Southern Seven Mile Island has the greatest volumes of Holocene sand because of increased accommodation and deposition adjacent to the Hereford Inlet ebb-tidal delta. Even though tidal inlets exert variable influence on the three geomorphic zones, sediment is distributed fairly uniformly within each geomorphic zone; each of the three zones contains 31.05–36.48 percent of the volume of available Holocene sand.

New Jersey↗

USGS2020

Seafloor change around the Mississippi barrier islands, 1920 to 2016—The influence of storm effects on inlet and island morphodynamics

The Mississippi Barrier Islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico experienced high rates of spatial change over recorded history. Wave-induced sediment transport induced island migration, landward retreat, and inlet evolution. These processes can be measured using repeat bathymetric surveys to analyze elevation change over time. This study analyzes digital elevation models created from three time periods where bathymetric data have been collected: the 1920s, 2009, and 2016. The models are compared to assess volumetric change between surveys and characterize morphologic responses to natural and human-influenced processes. Although all the islands within the study area experienced a loss of area over the period of study, the nearshore and tidal inlets experience both accretion and erosion that vary spatially and temporally. Major morphologic changes include westward island migration, expanding ebb-tidal deltas, and changes in inlet dimensions. This study is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Park Service to establish baseline physical and pre-restoration morphologic conditions preceding a major restoration of the islands as part of the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Project.

Mississippi barrier islands↗

USGS2019

Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

We analyzed grain-size distributions (GSDs) from a time-series of sediment samples to evaluate sediment transport following anthropogenic sand-berm emplacement at the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. End-member analysis (EMA) was applied to compare the end-member (EM) GSD of a known sediment source to GSDs from surrounding environments and characterize the physical redistribution of source sediment over time. Although we successfully modeled a proxy borrow-source EM using pre-emplacement (2007-2008) datasets, this EM is not easily distinguishable from the modeled emergent-island EM, possibly because the baseline dataset did not provide the necessary sample distribution to distinguish the range of depositional environments. Comparison of post-emplacement (2012) samples from the berm and natural island with the proxy borrow-source EM suggests that this application of EMA can be a valuable tool for understanding sediment redistribution subsequent to restoration efforts, especially if the GSDs of the emplaced and naturally-occurring sediments are dissimilar and adequately sampled.

Louisiana↗

USGS2018

Sediment data from vibracores collected in 2016 from Fire Island, New York

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time scales (months to centuries) and resolving storm-related effects, post-storm beach response, and recovery. In April 2016, scientists from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted sediment sampling and geophysical surveys on Fire Island to characterize and quantify spatial variability in the subaerial geology with the goal of subsequently integrating onshore geology with other surf zone and nearshore datasets. This report, along with the accompanying USGS data release , serves as an archive of sediment data from 14 vibracores collected on April 10 and 11, 2016 (USGS Field Activity Number 2016–322–FA ), along 6 transects that extend from the upper to lower subaerial shoreface at Fire Island. Sedimentologic and stratigraphic metrics (for example, sediment texture or unit thicknesses) derived from these data can be used to assess spatial and temporal trends and may aid in understanding beach evolution. Data products include sample location tables, descriptive core logs, core photographs, results of sediment grain-size analyses, and geographic information system data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

New York↗

USGS2018

Nearshore coastal bathymetry data collected in 2016 from West Ship Island to Horn Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, conducted bathymetric surveys of the nearshore waters surrounding Ship and Horn Islands, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi. The objective of this study was to establish base-level elevation conditions around West Ship, East Ship, and Horn Islands and their associated active littoral system prior to restoration activities. These activities include the closure of Camille Cut and the placement of sediment in the littoral zone of East Ship Island. These surveys can be compared with future surveys to monitor sediment migration patterns post-restoration and can also be measured against historic bathymetric datasets to further our understanding of island evolution. The USGS collected 667 line-kilometers (km) of single-beam bathymetry data and 844 line-km of interferometric swath bathymetry data in July 2016 under Field Activity Number 2016-347-FA. Data are provided in three datums: (1) the International Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2000 (ellipsoid height); (2) the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) CORS96 realization and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 with respect to the GEOID12B model (orthometric height); and (3) NAD83 (CORS96) and Mean Lower Low Water (tidal datum). Data products, including x,y,z point datasets, trackline shapefiles, digital and handwritten Field Activity Collection Systems logs, 50-meter digital elevation model, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata, are available for download.

Mississippi↗

USGS2017

Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

The deep sea is a rich environment composed of diverse habitat types. While deep-sea coral habitats have been discovered within each ocean basin, knowledge about the ecology of these habitats and associated inhabitants continues to grow. This report presents information and results from the Lophelia II project that examined deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The Lophelia II project focused on Lophelia pertusa habitats along the continental slope, at depths ranging from 300 to 1,000 meters. The chapters are authored by several scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Florida State University who examined the community ecology (from microbes to fishes), deep-sea coral age, growth, and reproduction, and population connectivity of deep-sea corals and inhabitants. Data from these studies are presented in the chapters and appendixes of the report as well as in journal publications. This study was conducted by the Ecosystems Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey to meet information needs identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Gulf of Mexico↗

USGS2017

Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York

Investigations of coastal change at Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), sought to characterize sediment budgets and determine geologic framework controls on coastal processes. Nearshore sediment thickness is critical for assessing coastal system sediment availability, but it is largely unquantified due to the difficulty of conducting geological or geophysical surveys across the nearshore. This study used an amphibious vessel to acquire chirp subbottom profiles. These profiles were used to characterize nearshore geology and provide an assessment of nearshore sediment volume. Two resulting sediment-thickness maps are provided: total Holocene sediment thickness and the thickness of the active shoreface. The Holocene sediment section represents deposition above the maximum flooding surface that is related to the most recent marine transgression. The active shoreface section is the uppermost Holocene sediment, which is interpreted to represent the portion of the shoreface thought to contribute to present and future coastal behavior. The sediment distribution patterns correspond to previously defined zones of erosion, accretion, and stability along the island, demonstrating the importance of sediment availability in the coastal response to storms and seasonal variability. The eastern zone has a thin nearshore sediment thickness, except for an ebb-tidal deposit at the wilderness breach caused by Hurricane Sandy. Thicker sediment is found along a central zone that includes shoreface-attached sand ridges, which is consistent with a stable or accretional coastline in this area. The thickest overall Holocene section is found in the western zone of the study, where a thicker lower section of Holocene sediment appears related to the westward migration of Fire Island Inlet over several hundred years.

New York↗

USGS2015

Integrating geophysical and oceanographic data to assess interannual variability in longshore sediment transport

Despite their utility for prediction of coastal behavior and for coastal management, littoral sediment budgets are difficult to quantify over large regions of coastline and over short time scales. In this study, bathymetric change analysis shows differences in the magnitude and spatial location of erosion and accretion over three years; more net accumulation occurred at the littoral end point of the system in the second year (2012-2013) compared to the first (2011-2012). However, the estimated magnitude of longshore transport based on wave characteristics was lower in the second year than for the first year. Similarly, comparisons of total water levels and island elevation over the study period show increased number of overwash hours in the second year, indicating increased cross-shore sediment losses and presumably less sediment transported alongshore. The storm-mediated degradation of the man-made northern portion of the island resulting in increased sub-aqueous sediment availability may explain the observations.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2014

Refining the link between the Holocene development of the Mississippi River Delta and the geologic evolution of Cat Island, MS: implications for delta-associated barrier islands

The geologic evolution of barrier islands is profoundly influenced by the nature of the deposits underlying them. Many researchers have speculated on the origin and evolution of Cat Island in Mississippi, but uncertainty remains about whether or not the island is underlain completely or in part by deposits associated with the past growth of the Mississippi River delta. In part, this is due to a lack of comprehensive geological information offshore of the island that could augment previous stratigraphic interpretations based on terrestrial borings. An extensive survey of Cat Island and its surrounding waters was conducted, including shallow-water geophysics (e.g., high-resolution chirp seismic, side-scan sonar, and swath and single-beam bathymetry) and both terrestrial and marine vibracoring. High-resolution seismic data and vibracores from south and east of the island show two horizontally laminated silt units; marine radiocarbon dates indicate that they are St. Bernard delta complex (SBDC) deposits. Furthermore, seismic data reveal that the SBDC deposits taper off toward the southern shoreline of Cat Island and to the west, morphology consistent with the distal edge of a delta complex. The sedimentology and extent of each unit suggest that the lower unit may have been deposited during an earlier period of continuous river flow while the upper unit may represent reduced or sporadic river flow. OSL dates from the island platform (beneath beach ridge complexes) indicate three stages of terrestrial evolution: island emergence resulting from relative sea-level rise (~ 5400 ybp) island aggradation via littoral transport (~ 2500–4000 ybp) and island degradation due to delta-mediated changes in wave direction (present– ~ 3600 ybp). Finally, the combination of terrestrial and marine data shows that portions of Cat Island that are lower in elevation than the central part of the island are younger and are likely underlain by a thin layer of deltaic sediments. This underscores the potential for increased future vulnerability of barrier islands that develop adjacent to major river delta complexes.

Mississippi↗

USGS2014

Sediment data collected in 2010 from Cat Island, Mississippi

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted geophysical and sedimentological surveys in 2010 around Cat Island, Mississippi, which is the westernmost island in the Mississippi-Alabama barrier island chain. The objective of the study was to understand the geologic evolution of Cat Island relative to other barrier islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico by identifying relationships between the geologic history, present day morphology, and sediment distribution. This data series serves as an archive of terrestrial and marine sediment vibracores collected August 4-6 and October 20-22, 2010, respectively. Geographic information system data products include marine and terrestrial core locations and 2007 shoreline data. Additional files include marine and terrestrial core description logs, core photos, results of sediment grain-size analyses, optically stimulated luminescence dating and carbon-14 dating locations and results, Field Activity Collection System logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

Mississippi↗

USGS2014

Coastal bathymetry data collected in 2011 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted nearshore geophysical surveys off the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in June of 2011. The overall objectives of the study are to better understand barrier-island geomorphic evolution, particularly storm-related depositional and erosional processes that shape the islands over annual to interannual timescales (1-5 years). Collection of geophysical data will allow us to identify relationships between the geologic history of the island and its present day morphology and sediment distribution. This mapping effort was the first in a series of three planned surveys in this area. High resolution geophysical data collected in each of three consecutive years along this rapidly changing barrier-island system will provide a unique time-series dataset that will significantly further the analyses and geomorphological interpretations of this and other coastal systems, improving our understanding of coastal response and evolution over short time scales (1-5 years). This data series includes the bathymetric data that were collected during two cruises ( USGS Field Activity Numbers 11BIM01 and 11BIM02 ) aboard the Research Vessel (R/V) SurveyCat and the R/V TwinVee along the northern portion of the Chandeleur Islands, Breton National Wildlife Refuge , Louisiana. Data were acquired with the following equipment: a Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd., SWATH plus interferometric sonar (234 kilohertz), an EdgeTech 424 (4-24 kHz) chirp sub-bottom profiling system, and a Marimatech E-SEA Sound 206 (200 kHz) echosounder. This report serves as an archive of processed interferometric swath and single-beam bathymetry data. Geographic Iinformation System data products include a 50-meter cell-size interpolated bathymetry grid surface, trackline maps, and point data files. Additional files include error analysis maps, Field Activity Collection System logs, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

Louisiana↗

USGS2014

Sediment data collected in 2012 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected sediment samples from the northern Chandeleur Islands in March and September 2012. The overall objective of this project, which integrates geophysical (bathymetric, seismic, and topographic) and sedimentologic data, is to better understand the depositional and erosional processes that drive the morphologic evolution of barrier islands over annual to interannual timescales (1 to 5 years). Between June 2010 and April 2011, in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the State of Louisiana constructed a sand berm extending more than 14 kilometers along the northern Chandeleur Islands platform. The construction of the berm provided a unique opportunity to investigate how this new sediment source will interact with and affect the morphologic evolution of the barrier-island system. Data collected from this study will be used to describe differences in the physical characteristics and spatial distribution of sediments both along the axis of the berm and also along transects across the berm and onto the adjacent barrier island. Comparison of these data with data from subsequent sampling efforts will provide information about sediment interactions and movement between the berm and the natural island platform, improving our understanding of short-term morphologic change and processes in this barrier-island system. This data series serves as an archive of sediment data collected in March and September 2012 from the Chandeleur Islands sand berm and adjacent barrier-island environments. Data products include descriptive core logs, core photographs and x-radiographs, results of sediment grain-size analyses, sample location maps, and Geographic Information System data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

Louisiana↗

USGS2014

Sediment data collected in 2013 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected sediment samples from the northern Chandeleur Islands in July 2013. The overall objective of this project, which integrates geophysical (bathymetric, seismic, and topographic) and sedimentologic data, is to better understand the depositional and erosional processes that drive the morphologic evolution of barrier islands over annual to interannual timescales (1 to 5 years). Between June 2010 and April 2011, in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the State of Louisiana constructed a sand berm extending more than 14 kilometers along the northern Chandeleur Islands platform. The construction of the berm provided a unique opportunity to investigate how this new sediment source will interact with and affect the morphologic evolution of the barrier-island system. Data collected from this study will be used to describe differences in the physical characteristics and spatial distribution of sediments both along the axis of the berm and also along transects across the berm and onto the adjacent barrier island. Comparison of these data with data from previous sampling efforts will provide information about sediment interactions and movement between the berm and the natural island platform, improving our understanding of short-term morphologic change and processes in this barrier-island system. This data series serves as an archive of sediment data collected in July 2013 from the Chandeleur Islands sand berm and adjacent barrier-island environments. Data products include descriptive core logs, core photographs and x-radiographs, results of sediment grain-size analyses, sample location maps, and Geographic Information System data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

Louisiana↗

USGS2014

The shallow stratigraphy and sand resources offshore from Cat Island, Mississippi

In collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected over 487 line kilometers (> 300 miles) of high-resolution geophysical data around Cat Island, Mississippi, to improve understanding of the island's geologic evolution and identify potential sand resources for coastal restoration. In addition, 40 vibracores were collected on and around the island, generating more than 350 samples for grain-size analysis. The results indicate that the geologic evolution of Cat Island has been influenced by deltaic, lagoonal/estuarine, tidal, and oceanographic processes, resulting in a stratigraphic record that is quite complex. The region north of the island is dominated by lagoonal/estuarine deposition, whereas the region south of the island is dominated by deltaic and tidal deposition. In general, the veneer of modern sediment surrounding the island is composed of newly deposited sediment and highly reworked relict sediments. The region east of the island shows the interplay of antecedent barrier-island change with delta development despite a significant ravinement of sediments. The data show from little to no modern sediment east of the island, exposing relict sediments at the seafloor. Finally, the data reveal four subaqueous sand units around the island. Two of the units are northwest of the modern island and one is southwest. Given the dominant, westward, longshore transport along the Mississippi and Alabama barrier islands, the geographic location of these three units suggests that they do not contribute to the modern sediment budget of Cat Island. The last unit is directly east of the island and represents the antecedent island platform that has supplied sand over geologic time for creation of the spits that form the eastern shoreline. Because of its location east of the island, the antecedent island unit may still supply sediment to the island today.

Mississippi↗

USGS2013

Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) Program Summary Report: Data and Analyses 2006 through 2010

The Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program was implemented under the Louisiana Coastal Area Science and Technology (LCA S&T) office as a component of the System Wide Assessment and Monitoring (SWAMP) program. The BICM project was developed by the State of Louisiana (Coastal Protection Restoration Authority [CPRA], formerly Department of Natural Resources [DNR]) to complement other Louisiana coastal monitoring programs such as the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System-Wetlands (CRMS-Wetlands) and was a collaborative research effort by CPRA, University of New Orleans (UNO), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The goal of the BICM program was to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana that could be used to plan, design, evaluate, and maintain current and future barrier-island restoration projects. The BICM program used both historical and newly acquired (2006 to 2010) data to assess and monitor changes in the aerial and subaqueous extent of islands, habitat types, sediment texture and geotechnical properties, environmental processes, and vegetation composition. BICM datasets included aerial still and video photography (multiple time series) for shoreline positions, habitat mapping, and land loss; light detection and ranging (lidar) surveys for topographic elevations; single-beam and swath bathymetry; and sediment grab samples. Products produced using BICM data and analyses included (but were not limited to) storm-impact assessments, rate of shoreline and bathymetric change, shoreline-erosion and accretion maps, high-resolution elevation maps, coastal-shoreline and barrier-island habitat-classification maps, and coastal surficial-sediment characterization maps. Discussions in this report summarize the extensive data-collection efforts and present brief interpretive analyses for four coastal Louisiana geographic regions. In addition, several coastal-wide and topical themes were selected that integrate the data and analyses within a broader coastal context: (1) barrier-shoreline evolution driven by rapid relative sea-level rise (RSLR), (2) hurricane impacts to the Chandeleur Islands and likelihood of island recovery, (3) impact of tropical storms on barrier shorelines, (4) Barataria Bay tidal-inlet management, and (5) habitat changes related to RSLR. The final theme addresses potential future goals of the BICM program, including rotational annual to semi-decadal monitoring, proposed new-data collection, how to incorporate technological advances with previous data-collection and monitoring protocols, and standardizing methods and quality-control assessments for continued coastal monitoring and restoration.

Louisiana↗

USGS2012

Offshore sand-shoal development and evolution of Petit Bois Pass, Mississippi-Alabama Barrier Islands, Mississippi, USA

Assessment of recently collected geophysical and sediment-core data identifies an extensive shoal field located off Dauphin and Petit Bois Islands. The shoals are the product of Pleistocene fluvial deposition and Holocene marine-transgressive processes, and their position and orientation oblique to the modern shoreline has been stable over the past century. The underlying stratigraphy has also influenced the evolution of the barrier platform and inlets. Buried distributary channels bisect the platform, creating erosion hotspots that breach during intense and repeated storms. Inlet growth inhibits littoral transport, and over time, reduces the down-drift sand supply. These relations demonstrate the role of the antecedent geologic framework on morphologic evolution. This study is part of the USGS Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility Project and the USACE Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program. These projects produced a wealth of information regarding coastal geology, geomorphology, and physical resources; some of the initial results are presented here.

Alabama;Mississippi↗