National Park Service beach nourishment guidance (second edition)
Hart K, Lejeune J, Beavers R, Whitin S, Overcash C, LaFrance Bartley M, Boltz S. 2023. National Park Service beach nourishment guidance (second edition). Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2023/2515. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2299256
Sandy coastal areas (including coastal dunes, beaches, and submerged intertidal and nearshore areas) are naturally dynamic ecosystems. These areas experience accretion, erosion, dune and island migration, overwash, and other processes as sediments are transported by the wind, waves, tides, and currents. If these natural physical processes are disrupted, the beach ecosystem may transform, become unstable, or disappear completely over time. Human development of coastal areas, sea level rise, and increasing frequency and intensity of coastal storms are examples of coastal change that interfere with sediment transport and therefore threaten the stability of coastal ecosystems. Beach nourishment is a nature-based engineering strategy that artificially delivers sand (a size of sediment) to a coastal ecosystem to lessen the disruption of sediment supply. Generally, beach nourishment is intended to mitigate erosion, protect infrastructure and buildings, and/or to restore habitat. The National Park Service (NPS) has produced an updated guidance manual that provides a consistent approach to beach nourishment based on sound coastal science and engineering. The goal of this updated guidance is to provide information on this method to protect and preserve the beaches and associated resources of the National Park System.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Hart, Kate; Lejeune, Jodi; Beavers, Rebecca; Whitin, Sam; Overcash, Christopher; LaFrance Bartley, Monique; Boltz, Suzie
- Date of Issue
- 2023-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2299256
- Units
- GRD , NRSS
- Keywords
- Beach nourishment, shore management
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Coastal/Oceanographic Features and Processes