Modeling and Managing the Long-Term Effects of Artificial Dune Construction in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to gain a better understanding of long-term interactions
between natural processes and human activities, and how protective measures produce
long-term, unintended consequences. Protective measures can disrupt natural processes
in such a way that can intensify property damages from natural hazards. Current management
practices aimed at defending transportation infrastructure in the Outer Banks of North
Carolina are creating such long-term effects. A numerical model examines the long-term,
coupled geomorphic and economic consequences of constructing and maintaining artificial
dunes. By subjecting a simulated barrier island to a probabilistic storm climate,
storm impacts are described in terms of probability distributions of outcomes, which
can be translated into quantifiable risk to coastal development. Furthermore, the
evolution of this risk over time is investigated as economic activities-- and subsequent
mitigation measures-- are impacted by and alter natural processes of barrier island
evolution. Given the magnitude of change that coastal systems will be subject to under
climate change, current management strategies designed to maintain system stability
are certainly unsustainable and may even be self-defeating in the long-term.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/530Citation
Magliocca, Nicholas R. (2008). Modeling and Managing the Long-Term Effects of Artificial Dune Construction in the
Outer Banks of North Carolina. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/530.Collections
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