Virgin Island Beach Process Investigation. Occasional Papers No. 1
Hoffman S, Robinson A, Dolan R. 1974. Virgin Island Beach Process Investigation. Occasional Papers No. 1. National Park Service. Washington, DC
Occasional Paper No. 1. The Virgin Islands National Park, in conjunction with the Office of Natural Science, Washington, DC supported a one-year research program to study shoreline erosion on St. John. The purpose of the study was to provide basic information and to ascertain the possible environmental effects of an artificial reef structure on the beaches and reefs of Cinnamon Bay. During the eleven-month field investigation, data were collected on wave heights, beach sediments, beach elevation, and offshore sediments at Cinnamon Bay (east and west), Hawksnest Bay, and Trunk Bay (east and west). The study examined specific relationships between surf-zone processes and beach changes as they occurred in the reef-beach systems. A conceptual model was developed in order to assess the significance of various elements within the system. A series of field experiments was designed to test hypotheses. Of particular concern were the sediment-exchange processes of the subaerial beach and of the nearshore zone. The project authors recommended that no structures be used for beach-management purposes on north-shore beaches within Virgin Islands National Park. They found that the only shoreline erosion problems within the park that might require management were those at Cinnamon Bay West near local archeological sites, the Danish warehouse, and a large Kapok tree. The Occasional Papers Series was created in the 1970s as a way to offer detailed research studies on natural resource topics to the general public.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hoffman, Scott; Robinson, Alan; Dolan, Robert
- Date of Issue
- 1974
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- VIIS
- Keywords
- beach, cinnamon bay, danish warehouse, erosion, hawksnest bay, inshore, marine hydrology, mary point, natural resource management, nearshore, ocean, offshore, reef, revetment, sediment, shore, shoreline, St. John, storms, subaerial, surf, trunk bay, wave
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Coastal/Oceanographic Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Marine Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Marine Hydrology , NPS.gov Subject Site: Erosion: Water, Wind, & Weather