Kent, Jena

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (U.S.)

"Poplar Island, once on the verge of disappearing due to sediment erosion and sea level rise, is today a national model for habitat restoration and the beneficial use of dredged material. Just off the Chesapeake Bay coastline, about 34 miles south of Baltimore in Talbot County, MD, Poplar Island is returning to its former size and will again serve an important ecological function while helping to ensure the economic vitality of the region. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are working in partnership with the Maryland Port Administration and other Federal and State agencies, to restore Poplar Island by using dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Federal navigation projects. Approximately 68 million cubic yards of dredged material will be placed to develop 737 acres of wetlands, 840 acres of uplands, and 138 acres of open water embayment. The Poplar Island water level station is located on the east coast of Poplar Island, and was established in 2006 through a partnership between NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) and the Baltimore District, USACE (USACE, 2013). The purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of water level data and tidal datums observed from Poplar Island, Maryland. For context, the analyses include comparisons with the nearby long-term water level station in Annapolis, Maryland and Cambridge, Maryland (Figure 1). This report includes comparative analyses of regional sea level trends, frequency and duration of inundation, and exceedance probabilities at these locations"--Introduction.

Technical Report