Multi-Sensor Vegetation and Morphological Investigation within Two Sandy Barrier Island Systems
Presentation Type
Invited Speaker
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Student Year and Major
n/a
Invited Speaker Institution/Department
Bethune-Cookman University, Department of Integrated Environmental Science
Presentation Description/Abstract
Barrier islands are shifting formations built by long-term coastal processes, such as sediment deposition, and further shaped by severe short-term weather events, overwash, and anthropogenic impacts like dredging. As such, understanding barrier island shifts is critical to combat coastal erosion and landward migration. This study examines two National Park Service barrier island systems in the Southeastern U.S.: Florida’s nearshore, connected Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) and Mississippi’s offshore, disconnected Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS). Four-band NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) elevation imagery from 2007 to 2023 were applied to remote sensing analyses in ArcGIS Pro and R. This includes supervised classification, LiDAR hotspot analysis, footprint analysis, and landscape metrics to evaluate habitat fragmentation and landform shifts. Results indicate major landform change in GUIS, indicating sand deposition patterns and habitat restoration efforts, with water-to-sand and sand-to-water as the top class conversions. Conversely, CANA exhibited fewer dune changes but larger vegetation shifts, including a saltmarsh reduction (28.72 to 20.89%) and forest/swamp increase (32.06% to 35.51%). Findings suggest adaptive management should prioritize anticipated shoreline migration in offshore systems, while connected nearshore islands require adaptive vegetation strategies. This study demonstrates the value of persistent, long-term remote sensing monitoring for maintaining resilience amidst continuous landform changes.
Keywords
Barrier islands, National Park Service, remote sensing, satellite imagery, LiDAR, coastal ecosystems
Multi-Sensor Vegetation and Morphological Investigation within Two Sandy Barrier Island Systems
Barrier islands are shifting formations built by long-term coastal processes, such as sediment deposition, and further shaped by severe short-term weather events, overwash, and anthropogenic impacts like dredging. As such, understanding barrier island shifts is critical to combat coastal erosion and landward migration. This study examines two National Park Service barrier island systems in the Southeastern U.S.: Florida’s nearshore, connected Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) and Mississippi’s offshore, disconnected Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS). Four-band NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) elevation imagery from 2007 to 2023 were applied to remote sensing analyses in ArcGIS Pro and R. This includes supervised classification, LiDAR hotspot analysis, footprint analysis, and landscape metrics to evaluate habitat fragmentation and landform shifts. Results indicate major landform change in GUIS, indicating sand deposition patterns and habitat restoration efforts, with water-to-sand and sand-to-water as the top class conversions. Conversely, CANA exhibited fewer dune changes but larger vegetation shifts, including a saltmarsh reduction (28.72 to 20.89%) and forest/swamp increase (32.06% to 35.51%). Findings suggest adaptive management should prioritize anticipated shoreline migration in offshore systems, while connected nearshore islands require adaptive vegetation strategies. This study demonstrates the value of persistent, long-term remote sensing monitoring for maintaining resilience amidst continuous landform changes.