Suspended Sediment Concentrations Associated with a Beach Nourishment Project on the Northern Coast of New Jersey

Abstract

Abstract The potential biological effects of elevated suspended sediment concentrations caused by beach nourishment activities are a commonly cited environmental concern; however, the spatial scope and magnitude of increases in total suspended sediment (TSS) levels are infrequently monitored. In this study, suspended sediment conditions were monitored for two nourishment events on the northern coast of New Jersey in 1997 and 1998. Samples were taken in the swash, surf, and nearshore zones near the discharge pipe and at reference areas both north and south of the fill sites. Sampling was also conducted after two major storms passed through the area in September 1999 (the remnants of Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd). For both nourishment events, swash zone suspended sediment concentrations were significantly higher at sites of active discharge and recently nourished stations than at unnourished stations; however, no differences in TSS concentrations were detected between nourished and unnourished stations in th...