BEACH FILL PERFORMANCE ALONG STORM AND INLET IMPACTEDSHORELINES IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

摘要

The North Carolina coastal area is a growing tourist destination where arnmajority of the oceanfront beaches are eroding. A primary concern of beach communitiesrnis the issue of beach nourishment for these high hazard shorelines. Figure Eight Island andrnOak Island are exemplary sites situated in different geologic settings with contrastingrnerosion and nourishment histories.rnFigure Eight Island, situated in Onslow Bay, is a narrow barrier bordered by Rich Inletrnto the northeast and Mason Inlet to the southwest. These inlets have dictated much of thernshoreline change patterns along this storm-impacted island. The island is fronted by sandpoorrnshoreface; and consequently, tidal inlet sand bodies have been the main targets forrnbeach fill material. In early 2001, the inlet-influenced erosion downdrift of Rich Inletrnnecessitated the placement of 271,453m3 of material along the northern end of the island.rnA shoreline monitoring program that was in place for a six-month period prior to thernnourishment afforded a framework for tracking the bi-monthly performance of the project.rnOak Island, located in low energy Long Bay, is composed of a Pleistocene subaerialrnheadland segment flanked by two transgressive spits. It is located between LockwoodsrnFolly Inlet to the west and the Cape Fear River estuary to the east. This barrier hasrnexperienced chronic erosion since Hurricane Hazel (1954) devastated the area. In thernSpring of 2001, the USACE placed 1.97 million m3 of beach fill along the central portionrnof Oak Island for the construction of the Environmental Restoration Project.