Abstract
Big Hickory Island, located in Lee County along the mixed-energy west Florida coast, experiences high long-term rates of shoreline recession, with much of the erosion concentrated along the central and southern portions of the island. In 2013, approximately 86,300 cubic meters of sand from an adjacent tidal inlet to the north were placed along 457 m to restore the beach and dune system. In an effort to combat erosion, seven concrete king-pile groins with adjustable panels were constructed subsequent to the completion of the beach nourishment. Natural and human-induced dynamics of Big Hickory Island are discussed through analysis of shoreline and morphologic change using historic aerial photographs and topographic and bathymetric field surveys of the recent beach erosion mitigation project. Although much of the long-term anomalously high rates of erosion for the area are related to natural interchanges between the sand resources of the barrier islands and adjacent ebb tidal shoals, additional reduction in sand supply is a result of human-interventions updrift of Big Hickory over the last several decades. The coupled natural and anthropogenic influences are driving the coastal processes toward a different morphodynamic state than would have occurred under natural processes alone.
Highlights
Chronic erosion plagues many developed beachfront communities in the U.S [1,2,3,4]
Recent studies have shown that the implementation of groins designed to retain beach fill material or stabilize the shoreline have proven effective in reducing erosion and mitigating downdrift impacts [6,9,10,11,12]
Improved understanding of the influence of anthropogenic modifications on the morphodynamics of the coastal system [13,14,15] is critical as human impacts on these environments increase concomitantly with sea level and storminess [16,17]
Summary
Chronic erosion plagues many developed beachfront communities in the U.S [1,2,3,4]. Maintaining some minimum dry-beach width is critical for storm protection and sustainability of coastal environments [5,6,7]. Topographic and bathymetric surveys were collected at six beach profiles (R-222.5 through R225.5). The analysis of data collected through this survey plan relies primarily on shoreline position data for two reasons: (1) for comparison to the near-term shoreline change analysis described above; and (2) to capture high spatial resolution alongshore variability within the project area. Complex spatial changes, such as erosional hot-spots [5] and beach response adjacent to engineering structures, are often not captured in a series of widely-spaced (e.g., 300-m) beach profiles [6].
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