![]() A deep well (GWW34) was installed next to GWW33 and screened approximately 20 ft below LSD. Three shallow wells (GWW31, GWW 32 AND GWW33) were hand augered and screened just below the water table (4-5 ft below Land Surface Datum ). Wells near the shoreline were installed adjacent to a tidal marsh (Figure 3) and extended inland along a 55 ft. The study area was located approximately 3.5 miles south of the northern tip of Sandy Hook and to the west of the main road (Hartshorned Drive) (Figure 2). Water-level and salinity data collected in this study in low-lying areas of the Bayshore Holly Forest may provide some of the information needed to estimate if saline water was the cause of mortality and attempt to reconstruct the duration and concentration of standing water. ![]() However, measurements of the timing and extent of the inundation were unavailable to verify this conclusion.Īlthough flooding of roots with saltwater is hypothesized to be the cause of mortality, data on short-term and long-term water-levels and salinity in the affected areas are not available. Stalter and Heuser (2015) conclude the mortality occurred in areas where standing saltwater remained for about two weeks after the storm. The Bayshore Holly Maritime Forest on Sandy Hook suffered mortality in low-lying areas that were inundated during Hurricane Sandy. During Hurricane Sandy the peak storm surge was 2.44 m above mean higher high water (MHHW), almost a meter higher than the previous high of 1.48 m (19). The Bayside Holly Forest on Sandy Hook, one of only two known old-growth American holly (Ilex opaca) maritime forests, is particularly vulnerable to global climate change because of the proximity of the water table to land surface in low-lying areas and the potential for saltwater intrusion and inundation. Of the 10 highest water levels in the 85-year period of record, 4 are associated with tropical storms, 4 with late fall/early winter nor’easters, and 2 with spring nor’easters. The 10 highest water levels at Sandy Hook since 1932 range from 1.091 to 2.709 m above mean higher high water (MHHW), including record high water for the period of record during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2018). As is typical of barrier-island environments, Sandy Hook experiences overwash events during which areas that are normally above tide level are flooded (Carleton, et. Sandy Hook has experienced long-term erosion at the southern, narrow end of the spit and deposition at the northern end. Sandy Hook is a 10-kilometer (km)-long spit that extends from the bridge across the Navesink River at the southern end to New York Harbor at the northern tip (Figure 1). ![]() Link to Maritime Forest Study introduction
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