A GIS analysis of the Chincoteague inlet
eddy and its impact on the shoreline morphology of northern
Wallops Island, Eastern Shore Virginia
Woodlief, V. A., Cornell, S. R.,
Sabetta, M., Sergent, E., McGilliard, E., Oakley, A., 2012,
A GIS analysis of the Chincoteague inlet eddy and its impact on
the shoreline morphology of northern Wallops Island, Eastern
Shore Virginia, ASLO-AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting,
Abstract ID:1121, 2012.
Longshore currents along the Delmarva Peninsula run predominantly
south-westward toward the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Due to local
barrier island architecture and vigorous tidal flows at barrier
island inlets, i.e. between Assateague and Wallops Islands,
longshore currents can be disrupted or displaced offshore by eddy
currents, resulting in locally-reversed longshore currents. In the
case of Wallops Island, the eddy’s clockwise rotation and associated
ebb tidal delta have significantly impacted sediment distribution
and wave refraction patterns since the 1930’s. This has produced a
progradational pattern of successive beach faces that stack seaward
some 1.14 kilometers, to the detriment of beaches to the south. This
study focuses on an evaluation of shoreline change both seasonally
and annually on the north end of Wallops Island. Using field surveys
and a GIS, the goal is to assess sediment transport rates both
onshore and alongshore since the 1930’s. These data will be used to
predict future sediment transport and erosional patterns in the
vicinity of north Wallops to support the development of a shoreline
management plan for the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.