Honeymoon Island, located along Florida’s Gulf Coast, is one of the state's numerous barrier islands. Along with neighboring Caladesi Island, it was originally part of a larger barrier island that was split in half during a major hurricane in 1921. It is now home to Honeymoon Island State Park, the most-visited state park in Florida.
The first two maps display Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of the island in 2015 and 2022, which I created from LiDar data recorded in those respective years. Both datasets were sourced from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Coastal Mapping Program (USACE NCMP). Below each map, I listed my results from calculating the island's surface area and volume so that coastal erosion/accretion could be compared. The Digital Elevation Model analysis showed a net loss of both surface area and volume over this seven-year timespan.
The third map displays the elevation difference between the first two maps; essentially, where Honeymoon Island gained land (shown in red) and lost it (shown in blue). Comparison of the erosion and accretion patterns show that much of the erosion occurred along the beaches on the west side of the island, at both the north and south ends. The central portion of the beach is the most obvious area of accretion, likely due to the major beach nourishment effort completed in 2021. There was also a noticeable eastward shift of the small peninsula at the southern end of the island. The middle of the island, as well as the eastward side, were largely unchanged during this time period.
