HR: 1340h
AN: H43D-0516    [Abstracts]
TI: The relation between 20th century dune migration and wetland formation at Cape Cod National Sea Shore, MA
AU: * Forman, S L
EM: slf@uic.edu
AF: University of Illinois-Chicago, Dept. of Earth & Environmental Sciences 845 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7059 United States
AU: Sagintayev, Z
EM: zsagintayev@bsu.edu
AF: Western Michigan University, Department of Geosciences 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 United States
AU: Smith, S
EM: Stephen_M_Smith@nps.gov
AF: National Park Service, Cape Cod National Seashore 99 Marconi Site Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667 United States
AU: Sultan, M I
EM: mohamed.sultan@wmich.edu
AF: Western Michigan University, Department of Geosciences 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 United States
AU: Becker, R
EM: richard.becker@wmich.edu
AF: Western Michigan University, Department of Geosciences 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 United States
AB: Approximately 1,800 ha of outer Cape Cod is dominated by active and stabilizing parabolic and transverse dunes, interspersed with numerous interdunal wetlands that are centers of biologic diversity. A time series of mosaiced and georeferenced aerial photographs for 1938, 1960, 1977, 1986,2001 and 2003 were analyzed to track individual dune movement and subsequent wetland propagation and expansion. This time series analysis indicates that parabolic dunes have migrated 150 to 250 m since 1938, with >60% of the movement between 1938 and 1977. There is noticeable stabilization of dunes in the 1980s and 1990s, with renewed movement in the 21st century. Wetlands expand following dune movement, particularly in the 1950s to the 1980s. The enlargement and formation of blowouts lowers surfaces that intersect, at least seasonally, with the water table. In turn, dune movement increases the catchment area for enhanced focusing of overland and through flow. A surprising conclusion is that the majority of wetlands are very young, <200 years old, which has been confirmed by optically stimulated dating of subwetland eolian quartz grains. The dynamic and coupled Cape Cod wetland and dune system may primarily reflect landscape non-equilibrium response to human disturbance post the 18th century.
DE: 1632 Land cover change
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects (4802, 4902)
DE: 1824 Geomorphology: general (1625)
DE: 1890 Wetlands (0497)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005