Beach Nourishment as a Coastal Management Tool: An Annotated Bibliography on Developments Associated with the Artificial Nourishment of Beaches
Abstract
It is estimated that 70% of the world's sandy shorelines are eroding (BIRD, 1985). In the U.S. the percentage may approach 90% (LEATHERMAN, 1988). The worldwide extent of erosion suggests that eustatic sea-level rise is an underlying factor, although many other processes contribute to this problem (STIVE et al., 1990). In many low-lying coastal areas, including the U.S., human impacts, such as the maintenance of tidal inlets and subsidence induced by groundwater and hydrocarbon withdrawals, have also made a substantial contribution to the erosion problem (NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, 1990). At the same time coastal populations are burgeoning worldwide (IPCC, 1990). The U.S. is no exception and this trend seems set to continue (CULLITON, 1990). This raises the fundamental question- what is the best response to the problem of shoreline recession?