Vulnerability of National Park Service Beaches to Inundation During a Direct Hurricane Landfall: Fire Island National Seashore

The potential inundation, I, of the beach system at Fire Island NS for Saffir-Simpson Category 1-4 hurricanes is defined as the difference between the elevation of the hurricane-induced mean water level (storm surge), R_low, and the elevation of the seaward-most sand dune, D_high. Negative values (blues) indicate that water levels are predicted to be lower than the dune crest and that a particular section of beach is not likely to be inundated during the direct landfall of a hurricane. Positive values (reds) indicate that modeled storm surge exceeds the elevation of the dune crest, suggesting that the beach system is more vulnerable to inundation and the associated extreme coastal changes.

Download:

• USGS Open-File Report 2007-1389 (5.2 MB PDF)

• Map products:
  • Inundation potential (1.3 MB PDF)
  • Dune and surge elevations (1.4 MB PDF)
• Supporting files (28.8 MB zip) contains:
  • ArcGIS Shapefiles
    • Oct 2005 mean-high-water shoreline position
    • Apr 2007 mean-high-water shoreline position
    • Apr 2007 dune crest position and elevation
    • Apr 2007 dune toe position and elevation
    • SLOSH-model surge values at the shoreline (category 1-4 hurricanes)
    • Inundation potential (category 1-4 hurricanes)
    • Short-term shoreline change (2005-2007)
    • 2006 island width
  • Apr 2007 DEM (raster files)
  • ArcGIS Map Document (xml)
• Metadata (51 KB zip)

NOTE: You will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat® Reader installed on your computer to view and print the PDF maps.

Fire Island National Seashore
National Park Service

Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms
USGS