Name
Seasonal hydrodynamics and morphodynamics on Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton and response to Hurricane Fiona
Description
Ingonish Beach in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia is a mixed beach with sand- and gravel-dominated sections, where the sandy portion of the beach has historically disappeared in winter and reappeared in summer. Recently, this seasonal cycle has been changing, with reduced sand extent during summers and a steeper gravel slope, and these changes have been met with public concern. To investigate the seasonal beach dynamics, a field campaign was initiated to monitor Ingonish Bay and beach dynamics and assess the morphologic change through time-lapse imagery, wave monitoring, satellite imagery analyses, and aerial- and land-based surveys. Data from a wave buoy reveal that the sand appearance and disappearance periods are primarily driven by stronger wave forcing, resulting in cycles of deposition and mobilisation. Remotely sensed radiometric Sentinel 1 imagery indicates that the coastline position was relatively stable during the analysis period, even following Hurricane Fiona in September 2022. Remotely sensed visual imagery paired with ground-based time-lapse imagery were used to compare sand appearance and disappearance periods. Analysis of repeated drone-based LiDAR and ground-based RTK surveys reveals that while the overall coastline is rather stable, there is continuous longshore redistribution of gravel and sand. In addition to mobilising sediment, Hurricane Fiona strongly influenced the morphology of a barrier beach extending across the harbour. Data from this study provide a baseline from which to assess future changes and develop a sediment transport numerical model, and resultant data analysis is being used to direct future monitoring and management efforts.