Shoreline change as a proxy for subaerial beach volume change

Journal of Coastal Research
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Abstract

It is difficult and expensive to calculate changes in sediment volume for large sections of sandy beaches. Shoreline change could be a useful proxy for volume change because it can be collected quickly and relatively easily over long distances. In this paper, we summarize several studies that find a high correlation between shoreline change and subaerial volume change. We also examine three new data sets. On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the correlation coefficients between the time series of shoreline change and subaerial volume change at two locations are 0.73 and 0.96. On Assateague Island, the correlation coefficient between along-coast variations in shoreline change and subaerial volume change is 0.71. On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the average correlation coefficient between temporal variations in shoreline change and subaerial volume change is 0.84. For spatial variations, the average correlation coefficient is 0.88. It is therefore concluded that shoreline change is a useful proxy for subaerial volume change.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Shoreline change as a proxy for subaerial beach volume change
Series title Journal of Coastal Research
DOI 10.2112/05-0442.1
Volume 23
Issue 3
Year Published 2007
Language English
Publisher Coastal Education and Research Foundation
Contributing office(s) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Description 9 p.
First page 740
Last page 748
Country United States
State Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia
City Cape Cod
Other Geospatial Assateague Island, Outer Banks
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