Impacts of Severe Storms on Beach Vegetation

by Shannon E. Cunniff, US Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Resources Branch, Los, Angeles, CA, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Zone '85

Abstract:

In the winter of 1982/1983 the southern California coastline was subjected to a series of storms. High tides in conjunction with high swells reshaped beach topography in many areas. One such beach was the Mugu Lagoon barrier beach. Both erosional and depositional processes acted to reshape much of the barrier. Earlier in 1982, the barrier had been the subject of a multiscalar biogeographical study where patterning of barrier vegetation was related to the existing physical environment and the historical physical environment. This study afforded the opportunity to document the dramatic change of the physical character of the barrier, the impact of the storms on the vegetative communities on the barrier and subsequent recovery phases.

Subject Headings: Beaches | Barrier islands | Vegetation | Storms | Gates (hydraulic) | Coastal management | Topography | California | United States

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