Virginia and North Carolina surfers’ perceptions of beach nourishment

Abstract

Coastal managers are increasingly reliant upon the process of beach nourishment to mitigate coastal erosion due to development and sea level rise, especially along the East Coast of the United States. While beach nourishment has been found to be more effective than hard stabilization measures, the process can negatively impact marine life, natural shoreline processes and coastal recreation users. There are few studies examining coastal users' opinions of beach nourishment, especially surfers, a user group that can be substantially affected by the process. The purpose of this study was to examine surfers’ perceptions of beach nourishment in Virginia and North Carolina. An online survey distributed in 2018 resulted in a sample of 500 surfers. The study found that respondents had neutral to somewhat negative perceptions of beach nourishment. Respondents from the southern North Carolina coast had significantly more negative opinions of the process that surfers in other regions. Results of the study confirm previous findings on the impacts of beach nourishment for surfers and other coastal users. The study highlights the need for additional research on the impacts of beach nourishment and the involvement of surfers as local knowledge experts in coastal management.