Overwash Processes and Foredune Ecology, Nauset Spit, Massachusetts.
Abstract
Various techniques were used to provide insight into the dynamics of a northeast barrier beach system. A range of information collected during different time frames was examined to evaluate the role fo overwash and foredune processes in barrier beach dynamics. Overwash processes were described from field data collected during several minor storms and during a major northeaster in February 1978. The response of vegetation to overwash burial and the colonization of washovers by vegetation were studied using data collected between 1977 and 1979. Transects were established along Nauset Spit to determine the development of plant communities and morphological features on barrier environments that have a well-documented history. Aerial photographs and US Coast Survey maps were used to determine the changes in shoreline position and major barrier environments during the past 122 years. Earlier charts, maps, and accounts expanded these data back to the early 1600s, in a qualitative sense. Finally, cores and radiocarbon peat dates were used to define the geologic evolution of the barrier system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA157433
Entities
People
- R. E. Zaremba
- S. P. Leatherman