Measuring Delta Progradation Using Delta Front Flow Patterns: A New Method of Remote Imagery Analysis on the Wax Lake Delta, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Abstract:

Quantifying the progradation of the Wax Lake Delta (WLD), a sub-delta of the Mississippi River Delta, can lend valuable insight into coastal land-building patterns. Previous studies of WLD progradation have relied on subaerially-exposed land for indicating delta extent, but an inherent problem with this method lies in the high variability of exposed land due to vegetative, hydrologic, and atmospheric fluctuations. By mapping water surface films observed in remote imagery which form streaklines along flow paths in the delta, we show that the shallow delta front flow patterns are relatively unaffected by short term water level changes and can be used to evaluate WLD progradation over time. Remotely sensed imagery from multiple sources (infrared aerial photography, SPOT, UAVSAR) spanning from 1988 to 2015 was used to map streaklines from which we calculate a flow direction divergence field across the delta. Measuring the translation of this field through time, such as areas containing extreme divergence values along the delta front, quantifies the progradation over the time elapsed. Preliminary measurements of WLD progradation were subdivided into the eastern, southern, and western thirds of the delta. The eastern third prograded at 110 ±20m/yr from 1988 – 1997, 100 ±40m/yr from 1997 - 2002, and then remained relatively constant to 2015. The southern third prograded at 130 ±20m/yr from 1988 - 1997, 200 ±40m/yr from 1997 - 2002, and remained relatively constant to 2015. The western third prograded at 130 ±30m/yr from 1988 - 1997, 220 ±60 m from 1997 - 2002, and then remained relatively constant from 2002 - 2015. Also of note is the retrogradation on the average of 700 ±400m observed from January to August, 1992 which we interpret as being caused by the impact of Hurricane Andrew. The streakline methodology of evaluating WLD progradation could provide new methods for analysis of land change in other deltas around the world.