Beach nourishment or replenishment is the artificial placement of sand on an eroded shore to maintain the amount of sand present in the foundation of the coast, and this way to compensate for natural erosion and to a greater or lesser extent protect the area against storm surge (nourishment may also use gravel and …

Groynes control beach material and prevent undermining of the promenade seawall. Groynes interrupt wave action and protect the beach from being washed away by longshore drift. Longshore drift is the wave action that slowly erodes the beach.

When waves approach a beach at an angle, they tend to move sediment along the beach. When there is a barrier in the beach, such as a groyne, this captures sand which is moving along a coast and thus builds up a beach.

Beaches also attract tourists. It is a relatively inexpensive option but requires constant maintenance to replace the beach material as it is washed away.

Such beach “nourishment” can bury shallow reefs and degrade other beach habitats, depressing nesting in sea turtles and reducing the densities of invertebrate prey for shorebirds, surf fishes, and crabs.

Beach projects are supposed to be supported, in part, by local funding. The first time around, the federal government usually pays 65 percent. Repeat applications are generally split 50-50 with the Corps.

Beach nourishment is a measure whereby additional sand and shingle is added to a beach to make it higher and wider. This material is brought onshore by barge, and moved about by large trucks and diggers. It costs around £3000 per km and is a cheap method.

California has added sand to its beaches for decades—for instance, about 1.3 million cubic yards of sand is placed every five to seven years at Surfside–Sunset in Orange County.

The primary benefits of beach nourishment include: Storm damage reduction, recreation, and habitat, each of which is discussed below. A wide beach is a very effective energy absorber. This is especially significant in low lying areas such that severe storms can impact upland structures.

Generally, sands and sandy gravels have been found to have recovery times of 2–4 years. However, recovery may take longer where rare slow-growing animals were present prior to dredging. The fauna of coarser deposit are likely to recover more slowly, taking from 5 to 10 years.

Beach reprofiling involves redistributing sediment from the lower part of the beach to the upper part of the beach. Cheap and simple and reduces the energy of the waves. Only works when wave energy is low and needs to be repeated continuously.

They are good because they result in a larger beach, which not only protects the coastline but can also be good for tourism. In addition, they are not that expensive. However, they starve down current (or drift) beaches, which makes them more vulnerable to erosion, and again they are not that attractive.

Beach reprofiling is used after a storm event as the beach will have been unevenly eroded. Bulldozers are used to create a gentle beach profile which is much more effective at absorbing wave energy and preventing further erosion.

Dune Regeneration means that only a small area is protected. Nourishment is very expensive. Marsh Creation isn’t useful where erosion rates are high because it can’t establish itself. Fairly expensive defence.

Political & social feasibility. Sand fences limit public access to the dunes and beach, and can be visually intrusive. Fencing may accumulate blown litter or strand line debris, while damaged fences may interfere with the amenity use of the beach.

Beach profiles Beach profiles use distance and angle measurements to help you investigate the shape of the beach.