Monitoring Beach and Sand Erosion
Shifting Sands
Virtual GEO faculty and graduate students engaged in a long-term study to investigate the changes in erosion and deposition rates along a 1-mile stretch of beach in Holgate, New Jersey. Holgate is a thriving shore town dependent on the summer beach tourist season. However, like all coastal regions, this beach environment is at risk due to climate change, sea-level rise, and increased erosion.
This 1-mile stretch of beach was strategically chosen because uneven erosion rates have been identified by the residents and it is an area that is influenced by both natural and anthropogenic beach processes. Monthly and pre-post storm drone surveys were conducted over an 8-month period and a time-series analysis to calculate the total sediment transport within the study area was calculated.
What Did We Learn?
Preliminary results were reported in the Master’s Thesis of Ashlyn Spector, but work is still ongoing. Check back to view models, data, etc. that was generated as part of this project.
Pictures from the Field
