Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms

Nor'Ida

Pre- and Post-Storm Photo Comparisons - Maryland

Location map for Maryland before/after photographs.

Location 1: Oblique aerial photography from Assateague Island, MD on May 21, 2009 (top) and December 4, 2009, roughly two weeks after the storm. The yellow arrows point to the same location in each photograph. In May 2009, this location was characterized by a wide beach and low, sparsely vegetated, and discontinuous frontal dunes. During Nor’Ida the beach narrowed and the foredune was scarped and partially eroded. In places, overwash extended into the pre-existing inter-dune swales. [larger version]

Location 2: Oblique aerial photography from Assateague Island, MD on May 21, 2009 (top) and December 4, 2009, roughly two weeks after the storm. The yellow arrows point to the same location in each photograph. In May 2009, this location was characterized by a wide beach and a nearly continuous frontal dune. During Nor’Ida the beach narrowed and the foredune was scarped and eroded landward. Overwash may have driven sand behind the pre-storm dune crest, as indicated by the loss or burial of dune vegetation in the center of the lower photograph. [larger version]