Beach Nourishment

Beach nourishment is the addition of sediment, usually sand, directly on or adjacent to an eroding beach (USACE n.d.a). Beach nourishment involves transporting large quantities of sand to the eroding beach to help stabilize it. The additional sand is then redistributed across the intertidal zone by natural processes such as incoming wave energy and managed erosion (USACE 2007). Sand can either be transported overland from inland sources or dredged from nearby areas offshore. Beach nourishment falls under the category of soft or green shoreline defenses because, while significant human alterations to the shoreline are involved, beach nourishment uses natural processes of sediment deposition, whereas gray infrastructure does not. Beach nourishment is increasingly necessary as natural sediment deposition processes are disrupted by anthropogenic activities like urban development, damming rivers, and dredging channels (Staudt et al. 2021). The impacts of climate change, especially sea level rise and increased storm severity, require more frequent beach nourishment (Stive et al. 1991).