Introduction
Within this paper, the differences between a summer and winter beach will be explained thoroughly, and the sand samples taken from the back shore portion of Huntington Beach, located in South Carolina, will be used as proof of these differences. The sand samples taken at both summer and winter periods will be defined and analyzed in great detail, as will the beach area itself. Once having read this paper, the general background information on the type of sand collected, specifically about Huntington Beach, will be evident, as will the differences in the beach during winter and summer time. The samples will be described thoroughly, and lab work and findings will be summarized for a touch of light, interesting, reading; all outside work cited corrected. These findings will not only be conveyed with words, but also visually appealing diagrams and photos of the physical sample. Finally, there will be a brief summary at the end of this paper in which the sand samples will be briefly restated in show of example for the winter and summer differences in a beach, specifically Huntington Beach.
Information on Winter Beaches
As storms and wave heights, along with a general change in wave and wind direction, surge during the fall and winter months, beach berms and occasionally the dunes erode in reaction, causing the beach to lower as sand is hauled offshore from the upper portions of the beach and deposited in shielding offshore sandbars (Learn More about Beaches & Dunes). The result is typically a flatter, more concave beach shape. The sandbars that form offshore in winter help protect the beach by causing waves to break farther offshore. There tends to be more coarse sediments in beach deposits, and any large storm can...
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...osition of sand on the up current side due to the jetty interrupting the movement of sand.
There has been a legislation put in place to protect coastlines. According to Kathryn Free, The South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Act of 1977 was passed by the General Assembly to make available protection and improvement of the state’s coastal resources. The Act has an extensive range of purposes to inspire coastal management and protection of natural coastal resources. The Act also created the South Carolina Coastal Council and gave it direct regulatory authority over “critical areas” of the coastal zone, including coastal waters, tidelands, beaches, and primary oceanfront sand dunes (Free 15 -16). However, it was soon obvious that the Council could not achieve these legislative goals because they lacked authority to thwart construction near eroding shorelines.
The whole island is in the shape of a giant square with white sandy beaches full of people sunbathing, swimming and fishing right on the shoreline. From the end of the hot pavement parking lot to shore of the beach is an ocean of soft white sand. The pearlescent white sand seems to know how to invade every nook and cranny almost as if it enjoys it. Walking around the beach on the fluffy whiteness surrounding the parking lot, the seagulls are fighting over scraps of food on the ground. “Sandy beach ecosystems provide invaluable services to humankind. Their functions have been exploited through history, with significant anthropogenic effects (Lucrezi, 2015)”. This white sandy beach is a beautiful refuge from the mundane grind of everyday life. The smell of the misty ocean air mixed with the sound of seagulls hovering above and kids playing is a tonic for the mind. The feel of the sand between their toes and the waves crashing over them as people swim in the water, or the jerk of a fishing pole when someone is catching a fish makes Fred Howard Park one of the best places to relax. Standing on the beach looking out on the water, people are kayaking and windsurfing. The lifeguards watching vigilantly in their bright red shirt and shorts, blowing their whistles when they see someone being unsafe. After a long day of swimming and laying around visitors head back over the soft white sand to the showers, in order to rinse off the menacing sand that clings to everything like a bad habit. Everyone rushes over the hot pavement burning their feet to reach their cars so they can put away their beach paraphernalia which is still covered in the white sand, nearly impossible to completely leave behind, so when they get home it serves as a reminder of where they were that
There are many different types of coasts that exist throughout the United States. The south shore of Long Island has a unique types of coast known as a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are long narrow land forms that are composed of sand and other lose sediments. These sediments are brought together by the actions of waves, currents and storm surges. Barrier beaches are subject to constant changes by the same forces. Sand is constantly eroded in one area an deposited in another. Barrier coasts are important for a number of reasons; they protect the mainland of Long Island from the open ocean and flooding during storms, for recreational use and the unique ecosystems which exist on barrier beaches.
Longshore drift is a process by which sediments are transported from one place to another. When this process occurs, beaches, spits and sandbars are accreted over time. If the process of longshore drift is altered by factors such as stronger winds and stronger currents, beach erosion begins at a faster rate and this may result in many serious problems. The main stakeholders of longshore drift are resort owners. They rely on people to visit their resorts and enjoy the beach. However, if longshore drift erodes t...
Semaphore Beach is affected by many factors such as natural processes and human impacts including marine litter and the discharge of stormwater. Therefore, several plans have been employed to ensure that the coast is supported through the method of counteracting erosion. However in the future, many management strategies have been put into consideration as well as the environmental, economic and social impacts as well as the predicted consequences. These impacts include traffic related incidents, noises and air pollution and the disruption of wildlife and the erosion of dunes. A method that should be considered for future management of the beach is the use of a concave sea wall, although efficient, this structure would be quite costly. Without the use of coastal management, Semaphore Beach would be unsupported, therefore negatively being affected by a variety of
The hypothesis presented in a paper titled, “Barrier Island Formation”(Hoyt 1130), is as follows: Along a sand shoreline, wind will form dunes or ridges (depending on the type of material the beach is composed of). If there is a relative submergence, the area landward of the dune/ridge will be flooded to form a lagoon and the ridge/dune then becomes a barrier island. This would most likely occur when a stable shoreline with a well-developed ridge is engulfed by a relatively sudden transgression that does not erode or push the ridge landward (Ot...
Unobstructed views of the Pacific’s vibrant blue water, unfilled wetlands, open-access to beaches, and agricultural lands that remain untouched are all attributes that make up the iconic, beautiful, and diverse California Coast. The protection and land-use decisions throughout the entirety of the California Coastal Zone is entrusted to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which is widely considered one of the most powerful land-use authorities in the country.
I have been to Florida a billion times, but there are only two places that I normally visit. Sanibel Island and Destin. Traveling to Sanibel Island is almost like a tradition for my family because every year we try to go down there. My grandparents first went to Sanibel with my whole family (cousins and all) about 15 years ago and ever since then, it has been our family’s main “vacation spot”. I have gone to Sanibel almost every year, but last year I also went to Destin. Now the main reason we decided to go there as well is because we wanted to travel somewhere nearby the panhandle of Florida. The water and beaches are also very contrasting in comparison to Sanibel. Sanibel’s beaches even had heaps of sea shells going out into the water. The sand is also more dense than that of Destin. Even Sanibel’s water is darker and more cloudy, so it was crazy to see Destin’s water so clear! The beach (which is called Emerald Cove, where I stayed at) had sand that was so white and soft it
Over the past 100 years the Louisiana coastline has suffered greatly from biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors. The abiotic factors include things such as hurricanes or overnutrition that influence the surrounding biota. The biotic factors that contribute to coastal erosion are things like the immigration invasive species and the emigration or extinction of local flora and fauna that help preserve the wetlands. Additionally, there are anthropogenic factors such as pollution that can have strong negative influences on the abiotic and biotic factors of the wetlands. Each one of these factors cause ecological disturbances to the wetlands at a frequency and intensity that is unmanageable for the local flora and fauna. There are currently certain measures that are being taken into consideration to slow or stop the erosion of the Louisiana coastline.
The most difficult to identify was the beach ridges and the sand dunes. We were not really postive about the appearance of the beach ridges and
Coastal erosion is a growing problem along the Gulf Coast. Louisiana is one of the coastal states most affected by coastal erosion. Ninety percent of wetland loss in the nation occurs in Louisiana, losing 25-35 square miles per year. At that rate, Louisiana will lose 640,000 more acres by 2050. Many factors contribute to this land loss, such as rising sea levels, subsidence, hurricane storm surge, cold fronts, and human interference. Cold fronts and hurricanes can both have detrimental consequences on the coast of Louisiana (Zhang 2004) (Restore or Retreat 2012). This research shows whether cold fronts or hurricanes have a larger effect on coastal erosion. The researcher will describe how historical and current satellite imagery help in determining the changes in the Louisiana coast. Based on previous research, the researcher believes that hurricanes have more of an effect on coastal erosion than cold fronts due to the high winds and storm surge.
. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the 208-foot tall landmark was just hauled more than a quarter-mile back from its former perch, where it was threatened by the encroaching sea. Coastal erosion chewed away about 1,300 feet of beach, bringing the waves to within 150 feet of the 4,800-ton sentinel. When the light was erected in 1870, it stood about 1,500 feet back from the waves. The lighthouse, on the Outer Banks, North Carolina's long barrier beach, was built to warn ships from waters called "the graveyard of the Atlantic." Ironically, the move should serve as a warning about the growing problem of coastal erosion. Erosion is not just plaguing the Outer Banks. Coastal residents up and down the United States are worrying about undermined cliffs, disappearing beaches, and the occasional dwelling diving into the briny. Beaches are constantly moving, building up here and eroding there, in response to waves, winds, storms and relative sea level rise. Yet when commoners like you and me, and celebs like Steven Spielberg, build along the beach in places like Southampton, N. Y., we don't always consider erosion. After all, real-estate transactions are seldom closed during hurricanes or northeasters, which cause the most dramatic damage to beaches. Yet Southampton, like all the barrier beaches that protect land from the sea, is vulnerable to obliteration by the very factor that makes it so glamorous: the sea. And the problem is increasing because the sea is rising after centuries of relatively slow rise, and scientists anticipate that the rate of rise will continue to increase in the next century. Land, in many places, is also slowly sinking. The result is a loss of sand that places the occasional beachside home inconveniently near -- or in -- the water. Still, erosion cuts in two directions. Without the process of erosion, we would not have the beaches, dunes, barrier beaches, and the highly productive bays and estuaries that owe their very existence to the presence of barrier beaches. Erosion of glacial landforms provides most of the beach sand in Massachusetts. A popular destination The beach-erosion problem has many causes. Among them are: · The ubiquitous desire to live near the sea. · A historically rapid ri...
Coastal erosion is a diverse issue with many different causes. However, it is basically defined as a situation that for some reason or another causes the amount of coastline in a given area to decrease. The causes behind coastal erosion are varied. They are often the result of manmade problems, such as pollution (Williams). However, the erosion of some coastlines is a natural process that occurs without human interaction (Internet Geography).
The North Carolina coast is a large part of the economy and brings countless people joy each year. Unfortunately, coastal environments are constantly being reshaped by tides and waves by moving and depositing sediment. This reshaping of the coast causes houses and bridges to be undermined as longshore currents move sand away from certain areas to others. Also, channels for boats migrate and fill with sand making industry and travel challenging. Despite efforts to stabilize areas, waves constantly batter the shore erasing all attempts. Due to all the social and economical effects coastal environments have on the state of North Carolina, it is essential to find an effective method to stabilize these areas while reducing the cost.
Surfers, swimmers and sunbathers use beaches for recreation. People fish off beaches for food. Since many people take their vacations at the beach, lots of beaches in tropical locations are important to their country’s economy. Entire cities, regions and countries depend on the money tourists spend while visiting the beach. Beaches are naturally very dynamic places, but people try to control them and build permanent structures, such as houses, restaurants, shops and hotels, on or near the shore. The natural erosion and deposition of beaches becomes a problem. Beaches con disappear over time, or even over night during severe storms. Beaches are areas of loose sediment (sand, gravel, cobbles) controlled by ocean processes. Most beaches have several characteristic features. First are offshore bars, which help protect beaches from erosion. Next is the foreshore, which rises from the water toward the crest of the next feature; a berm. On low-lying shores, dunes form behind beaches. Dunes look like rolling hills of sand and are blown into place by the wind. New, smaller dunes are often changing shape as the wind continues to affect them. Waves and currents move the accumulated sediment constantly creating, eroding and changing the coastlines.
Hydraulic Action, when waves hit the cliff, air is forced into cracks, and then as the wave retreats this air expands explosively. Over time the cracks enlarge, weakening the base of the cliff causing erosion.