To meet state permit requirements for mitigation of impacts associated with beach renourishment a... more To meet state permit requirements for mitigation of impacts associated with beach renourishment activities on Sand Key, Pinellas County constructed a total of 16 artificial reefs between 1997 and 2006. Biological monitoring was conducted on three of these reefs to determine at what age mitigative artificial reefs within the study area become biologically equivalent with the surrounding natural hardbottom. The three installations were compared to two natural hardbottom sites. Each of the five sampling units consisted of six temporary transects, 10 meters in length, established at the time of data collection. A point-intercept method of assessment was conducted every 0.5 meters. Sand and other sediment types had the highest percent cover at all sites, both natural and artificial, followed by turf algae. Excluding turf, the dominant functional groups across all sites were macroalgae, sponge, tunicate, octocoral and hydroid. Dominant species included the octocoral Leptogorgia virgulata,...
: Sand dunes are large coastal features typically formed when windblown sand is trapped and stabi... more : Sand dunes are large coastal features typically formed when windblown sand is trapped and stabilized by vegetation. Located between the back beach and inland features, they are an essential component of the coastal sediment budget and a primary control on the backshore ecosystem. In this role, coastal dunes provide essential ecosystem services, including habitat for endangered species such as piping plovers,sites of high tourism value, groundwater recharge zones, and protection of coastal infrastructure and properties from wave erosion and storm surge flooding.
Page 51 It has been documented that dredge and fill operations associated with beach nourishment ... more Page 51 It has been documented that dredge and fill operations associated with beach nourishment projects cause the mortality of infaunal organisms found within the wet beach and benthic environments (Saloman, 1974; Oliver et al. 1977; NRC 1995; USACE 2001). Dredging activity involves the removal of sediment, including the benthic infauna residing within the substrate. The placement of fill material upon the beach and the intertidal area has the potential to smother and kill the existing infauna community within the swash zone and nearshore benthic habitats. The resultant temporary loss of these lower trophic level organisms has cascading effects on a wide range of species that prey upon them. These include commercially and recreationally important fish as well as threatened and endangered species such as the piping plover and red knot. As such, state and federal regulatory agencies have previously required multiyear preand post-construction infaunal monitoring program as a condition of a project’s permit in order to document the effect these actions have on these important biological resources.
Since the late 1970s, nourished sand provided by the federal shore protection project at Upham Be... more Since the late 1970s, nourished sand provided by the federal shore protection project at Upham Beach, Florida, has routinely eroded within two years of placement. The erosion problem is a result of the location of the beach immediately downdrift of a total littoral barrier and pre-control line construction in a seaward-advanced position. This 2,400-ft-long nourishment project is considered a “feeder beach” because fill is placed along the updrift end of a 2.5-mi region intended to receive sediment. The need to retain a protective beach and to address the negative public perception of a rapidly eroding project gave rise to the structural solution described in this paper. The geotextile T-groin project that was installed in 2005
Coastal water quality is an important factor influencing public health and the quality of our nat... more Coastal water quality is an important factor influencing public health and the quality of our nation’s beaches. In recent years, poor water quality has resulted in increased numbers of beach closures and corresponding negative impacts on tourism. This paper addresses some of the issues surrounding the management challenge of coastal water quality, in particular, beach water quality monitoring. For this effort, data on beach water quality monitoring activities conducted by states were assessed and synthesized. In total, 29 states were surveyed: 16 reported information for seawater; six reported for freshwater only; eight reported for both seawater and freshwater. Thresholds for advisories and closure vary nationally; however, all 29 states have established an online presence for their monitoring programs and display advisories and closures in real time, most often on spatial information (GIS) portals. Challenges in monitoring, prediction, and communication are assessed and discussed....
Construction of the 2004 Treasure Island/Long Key portion of the Pinellas County Federal Nourishm... more Construction of the 2004 Treasure Island/Long Key portion of the Pinellas County Federal Nourishment Project was interrupted four times by the passage of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, providing numerous coastal management challenges. An ambitious monitoring program conducted before, during, and immediately after construction quantifi ed shoreline and volume changes within a few days following each storm. Project managers utilized these data in post-hurricane decision making. The most dramatic erosion occurred along the Upham Beach (Long Key) segment of the project, which was completed fi ve days prior to the passage of Frances. This segment lost up to 60 m of shoreline during the month of September 2004, an amount nearly equivalent to one year of erosion documented during previous
A recently developed storm impact scale considers the elevation of wave runup relative to the ele... more A recently developed storm impact scale considers the elevation of wave runup relative to the elevation of two geomorphic parameters on barrier islands: 1) a threshold
In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (... more In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (USGS CMHRP) and the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP), the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) has identified coastal stakeholders’ top coastal management challenges. Informed by two annual surveys, a multiple-choice online poll was conducted in 2019 to evaluate stakeholders’ most pressing problems and needs, including those they felt most ill-equipped to deal with in their day-to-day duties and which tools they most need to address these challenges. The survey also explored where users find technical information and what is missing. From these results, USGS CMHRP, USCRP, ASBPA, and other partners aim to identify research needs that will inform appropriate investments in useful science, tools, and resources to address today’s most pressing coastal challenges. The 15-question survey yielded 134 complete responses with an 80% completion rate from coastal stakehold...
To meet state permit requirements for mitigation of impacts associated with beach renourishment a... more To meet state permit requirements for mitigation of impacts associated with beach renourishment activities on Sand Key, Pinellas County constructed a total of 16 artificial reefs between 1997 and 2006. Biological monitoring was conducted on three of these reefs to determine at what age mitigative artificial reefs within the study area become biologically equivalent with the surrounding natural hardbottom. The three installations were compared to two natural hardbottom sites. Each of the five sampling units consisted of six temporary transects, 10 meters in length, established at the time of data collection. A point-intercept method of assessment was conducted every 0.5 meters. Sand and other sediment types had the highest percent cover at all sites, both natural and artificial, followed by turf algae. Excluding turf, the dominant functional groups across all sites were macroalgae, sponge, tunicate, octocoral and hydroid. Dominant species included the octocoral Leptogorgia virgulata,...
: Sand dunes are large coastal features typically formed when windblown sand is trapped and stabi... more : Sand dunes are large coastal features typically formed when windblown sand is trapped and stabilized by vegetation. Located between the back beach and inland features, they are an essential component of the coastal sediment budget and a primary control on the backshore ecosystem. In this role, coastal dunes provide essential ecosystem services, including habitat for endangered species such as piping plovers,sites of high tourism value, groundwater recharge zones, and protection of coastal infrastructure and properties from wave erosion and storm surge flooding.
Page 51 It has been documented that dredge and fill operations associated with beach nourishment ... more Page 51 It has been documented that dredge and fill operations associated with beach nourishment projects cause the mortality of infaunal organisms found within the wet beach and benthic environments (Saloman, 1974; Oliver et al. 1977; NRC 1995; USACE 2001). Dredging activity involves the removal of sediment, including the benthic infauna residing within the substrate. The placement of fill material upon the beach and the intertidal area has the potential to smother and kill the existing infauna community within the swash zone and nearshore benthic habitats. The resultant temporary loss of these lower trophic level organisms has cascading effects on a wide range of species that prey upon them. These include commercially and recreationally important fish as well as threatened and endangered species such as the piping plover and red knot. As such, state and federal regulatory agencies have previously required multiyear preand post-construction infaunal monitoring program as a condition of a project’s permit in order to document the effect these actions have on these important biological resources.
Since the late 1970s, nourished sand provided by the federal shore protection project at Upham Be... more Since the late 1970s, nourished sand provided by the federal shore protection project at Upham Beach, Florida, has routinely eroded within two years of placement. The erosion problem is a result of the location of the beach immediately downdrift of a total littoral barrier and pre-control line construction in a seaward-advanced position. This 2,400-ft-long nourishment project is considered a “feeder beach” because fill is placed along the updrift end of a 2.5-mi region intended to receive sediment. The need to retain a protective beach and to address the negative public perception of a rapidly eroding project gave rise to the structural solution described in this paper. The geotextile T-groin project that was installed in 2005
Coastal water quality is an important factor influencing public health and the quality of our nat... more Coastal water quality is an important factor influencing public health and the quality of our nation’s beaches. In recent years, poor water quality has resulted in increased numbers of beach closures and corresponding negative impacts on tourism. This paper addresses some of the issues surrounding the management challenge of coastal water quality, in particular, beach water quality monitoring. For this effort, data on beach water quality monitoring activities conducted by states were assessed and synthesized. In total, 29 states were surveyed: 16 reported information for seawater; six reported for freshwater only; eight reported for both seawater and freshwater. Thresholds for advisories and closure vary nationally; however, all 29 states have established an online presence for their monitoring programs and display advisories and closures in real time, most often on spatial information (GIS) portals. Challenges in monitoring, prediction, and communication are assessed and discussed....
Construction of the 2004 Treasure Island/Long Key portion of the Pinellas County Federal Nourishm... more Construction of the 2004 Treasure Island/Long Key portion of the Pinellas County Federal Nourishment Project was interrupted four times by the passage of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, providing numerous coastal management challenges. An ambitious monitoring program conducted before, during, and immediately after construction quantifi ed shoreline and volume changes within a few days following each storm. Project managers utilized these data in post-hurricane decision making. The most dramatic erosion occurred along the Upham Beach (Long Key) segment of the project, which was completed fi ve days prior to the passage of Frances. This segment lost up to 60 m of shoreline during the month of September 2004, an amount nearly equivalent to one year of erosion documented during previous
A recently developed storm impact scale considers the elevation of wave runup relative to the ele... more A recently developed storm impact scale considers the elevation of wave runup relative to the elevation of two geomorphic parameters on barrier islands: 1) a threshold
In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (... more In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (USGS CMHRP) and the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP), the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) has identified coastal stakeholders’ top coastal management challenges. Informed by two annual surveys, a multiple-choice online poll was conducted in 2019 to evaluate stakeholders’ most pressing problems and needs, including those they felt most ill-equipped to deal with in their day-to-day duties and which tools they most need to address these challenges. The survey also explored where users find technical information and what is missing. From these results, USGS CMHRP, USCRP, ASBPA, and other partners aim to identify research needs that will inform appropriate investments in useful science, tools, and resources to address today’s most pressing coastal challenges. The 15-question survey yielded 134 complete responses with an 80% completion rate from coastal stakehold...
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