Indications of a positive feedback between coastal development and beach nourishment
Earth's Future
Eli Lazarus, Scott Armstrong, Evan Goldstein, Curtis Thorpe, Rhoda Ballenger
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Abstract
Beach nourishment, a method for mitigating coastal storm damage or chronic erosion by deliberately replacing sand on an eroded beach, has been the leading form of coastal protection in the U.S. for four decades. However, investment in hazard protection can have the unintended consequence of encouraging development in places especially vulnerable to damage. In a comprehensive, parcel-scale analysis of all shorefront single-family homes in the state of Florida, we find that houses in nourishing zones are significantly larger and more numerous than in non-nourishing zones. The predominance of larger homes in nourishing zones suggests a positive feedback between nourishment and development that is compounding coastal risk in zones already characterized by high vulnerability.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Indications of a positive feedback between coastal development and beach nourishment |
| Series title | Earth's Future |
| DOI | 10.1002/2016EF000425 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Year Published | 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 10 p. |
| First page | 626 |
| Last page | 635 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |