Hurricane & Extreme Storm Impacts Home 1998 Assateague Island Northeasters Project Contact: Abby Sallenger   ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NORTHEASTERS   Wave height off Ocean City, MD, January and February 1998. During January and February, 1998, while El-Niño storms impacted the west coast of the U.S., two major northeasters impacted the mid-Atlantic states. Our partners at NASA Wallops Flight Facility (Wallops Island, VA) surveyed nearby Assateague Island, a NPS National Seashore, using scanning airborne laser altimetry prior to and after two major northeasters that occurred one week apart. During each storm, wave heights reached 7 m off Ocean City, MD. Example profile comparsions derived from the laser altimetry data (see below) show considerable variability of impact on Assateague Island from extensive reteat of coastal dunes to overwash across the island. These profiles consist of all data that lie within 1 m of the shore-normal line. Note the vertical exaggeration that emphasizes the changes. More extensive analyses, including animation showing coastal change to the island, are available from our partners in NASA. Coastal and Marine Program > Center for Coastal Geology > Research by Theme > Hazards > Hurricane & Extreme Storm Impact Studies > 1998 Assateague Island Northeasters U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/assateague/index.html Address questions and comments to Trent Faust - Webmaster Updated December 08, 1999 @ 06:51 PM (THF)