The Airborne Topographic Mapper team and Wallops P3-B aircraft were mobilized and delivered the survey data to the Park Service within two weeks. Sand from the beach berm can be seen to disappear and be shifted inland. Old marsh vegetation that had been buried under the sand was revealed by the storm and may have been the only factor that prevented the opening of a new channel across the island. The animation was created by interpolating a 5-meter DEM between the September and February ATM surveys.
Profiles extracted from the two surveys show the changes in the beach caused by the two storms.
The map of north Assateague Island below, at left, is shaded according to elevation. The Atlantic Ocean is to the right, and Sinepuxent Bay is to the left. You may display a cross-section through the island at any location by clicking on the map. The horizontal scale is in meters across the beach from the water line. There is no interpolation or filling.