ShorelineStructures

FromBeachapedia

WhyWeShouldCare
Seawalls,groins,jettiesandother
shorelinestabilizationstructures
havehadtremendousimpactson
ournation'sbeaches.Shoreline
structuresarebuilttoalterthe

(/File:Dana_point_photo.jpg)

effectsofoceanwaves,currents
andsandmovement.Theyare
usuallybuiltto"protect"buildings
thatwerebuiltonabeachthatis
losingsand.Sometimestheyare
builttoredirectriversandstreams.Othertimestheyareconstructedtoshelterboatsincalmwater.
Inmanycases,seawalls,jetties,breakwatersandgroinshavecauseddowncoasterosion
problemswithassociatedcoststhathavegreatlyexceededtheconstructioncostofthestructure.
Everysurfriderknowsthattherearegroinsandjettiesthathaveincidentallyimprovedwaveriding.
However,inmanyotherareasshorelineconstructionhasruinedwildlifehabitat
(http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bsmdhardenedshoreline20150916
story.html),destroyedsurfingwavesandcausedbeachestoerode.Asbeachloversand
environmentalists,weneedtounderstandtheconsequencesofshorelinestructuressothatwe
maybeabletoeffectivelyinfluencedecisionsontheimpacts,placementornecessityofthese
structures.Asanenvironmentalgroupcommittedtomaintainingthenaturalshorelineandbeach
equilibrium,weareusuallyopposedtoconstructionthatwilldisruptthebalanceofforcesthat
shapeourcoastline.

TheBasics

Erosion:Where
HasAllTheSand
Gone?

(/File:Lifeguard_bldg_photo.jpg)

Everywinter,thenewspapersshow
picturesofoceanfrontbuildingsfallinginto
giantsurf.Beachesarenotstaticpilesofsand.Oceancurrentscausebeachestomoveconstantly.
Beachsandisprimarilyaproductoftheweatheringoftheland.Sandcanalsocomefromocean

organismssuchascoral.Sandcancomefromtheerosionofcoastalbluffs.However,mostofthe
sandalongtheworld'sbeachescomesfromriversandstreams.Whennaturalprocessesare
interferedwith,thenaturalsupplyofsandisinterruptedandthebeachchangesshapeorcan
disappearcompletely.Sandproductionstopswhencoralreefsdiefrompollution,whencoastal
bluffsare"armored"byseawallsandwhenriversaredammedupstreamforfloodcontroland
reservoirconstruction.Thesandthatcollectsbehindupstreamdamsandreservoirsisoften
"mined"andsoldforconcreteproduction.Itthennevermakesittothebeach.Apublicresourceis
soldforprivateprofit.
Inthefaceoferodingbeaches,ownersofbeachfrontpropertywilloftentrytousetheirpolitical
influencetodemandthat"somethingbedone."Theintelligentactionwouldbetomovethebuilding
awayfromtheocean.Unfortunately,whathasoftenbeendoneinthepasthasbeentoarmorthe
coastlinewithrocks,concreteandsteel.Thisdoesnotprotectormaintainthebeachitonly
protectsthebuildings.
Millionsoftaxpayerdollarshavebeenwastedsubsidizingbeachfrontbuilding.Federalflood
insuranceandexpensiveArmyCorpsofEngineerprojectshavedoneverylittletomakeoceanfront
buildingssafeandhavehastenedbeacherosion.Inmanycases,itwouldbemorecosteffective
fortaxpayerstohavethegovernmentbuythecoastalproperty,condemnthebuildingsandallow
theareatoactasabufferbetweentheoceanandtheremainingbuildings.Inurbanizedareaswith
expensiverealestate,amorecosteffectiveandenvironmentallysoundalternativetoshoreline
structuresmaybetoperiodically"nourish"thebeachwithsand.

TheLittoralCell
OntheWestCoastoftheU.S.,beachsandmovesfromrivermouthstothebeach.Itthenmoves
alongthecoastinthedirectionofprevailingcurrentsandeventuallyitmovesoffshore.Thissand
transportsystemiscalledalittoralcell.
Whenwavesbreakatanangletotheshoreline,partofthewave'senergyisdirectedalongthe
shore.These"longshorecurrents"flowparalleltotheshore.Surferscallthisthe"drift".Thiscurrent
willmovesandalongtheshoreandabeachwillbeformed.Thesamecurrentthattransportsa
surferdownthebeachfromthepointofentrywillalsomovebeachsanddowntheshoreline.When
thislongshorecurrentturnsseaward,itiscalledaripcurrent.

(/File:Littoral_cell.jpg)

Someareashaveunderwatercanyonsnearthebeach.Thesesubmarinecanyonswereprehistoric
rivermouths.Sometimesthelongshorecurrentwillbeinterruptedbyoneofthesecanyons.Inthis
case,thesandislostfromthebeachinwatertoodeeptobereturnedtoshore.Thelittoralcell
system,fromtherivermouthtotheunderwatercanyon,willalwayslosebeachsand.Ifthesand
supplyfromtheriveriscutoff,thebeachwilllosesandcausingthebeachtobecomenarrower.

(/File:Canyons.jpg)

OntheEastCoastoftheU.S.,theshoreformeddifferently.Sandcomesfromtheerosionof
headlands,bluffsandcliffs.Theunderwatercoast(continentalshelf)oftheeastisbroadandflat.
EastCoastbeachesaregenerallywider.Barrierislandsrunalongthecoast.Incontrasttothe
WestCoast,submarinecanyonsarerarelynearthebeachandseldomactasconduitsforsand

loss.AnotableexceptionistheHudsonCanyonatthesouthwestendofLongIsland,NewYork.
Sandthatmovessouthhereislostdownthecanyon.OntheEastCoast,sand"loss"isprimarily
fromthemovementofbarrierislands.Barrierislandsnaturallymigratelandwardduetosealevel
rise,butthismigrationisacceleratedduringstormevents.Powerfulhurricanesdepositsandinland
bywashingitoverthedunes.Sometimesthesestormswillcreatestrongcurrentsthattakesand
toofaroffshoreforittoreturntothebeach.Thedepthwheresandismovedsofaroffshorethatit
cannotreturnisknownasthe"closuredepth".Theprecisedepthisunderscientificdebateand
varieswithtime,waveandweatherconditions.Whenhumanstrytointerferewiththenatural
migrationofbarrierislands,itisusuallyattheirlongtermperil.
Erosionisaprocess,notaproblem.Beachesaredynamicandnatural.Buildings,bridgesand
roadsarestatic.Theproblemoccurswhenthereisastaticstructurebuiltonadynamic,moving
beach.Ifbuildingsandroadswerenotbuiltclosetotheshore,wewouldnothavetoworryabout
shorelinestructuresorsanderosion.

ResponsestoErosion

Seawalls
Seethefullarticle:Seawalls(/Seawalls)
Whencoastalbuildingsorroadsare

(/File:Seawall_photo1.jpg)

threatened,usuallythefirstsuggestionisto
"harden"thecoastwithaseawall.Seawallsare
structuresbuiltofconcrete,wood,steelor
bouldersthatrunparalleltothebeachattheland/waterinterface.Theymayalsobecalled
bulkheadsorrevetments.Theyaredesignedtoprotectstructuresbystoppingthenatural
movementofsandbythewaves.Ifthewallsaremaintainedtheymayholdbacktheocean
temporarily.Theconstructionofaseawallusuallydisplacestheopenbeachthatitisbuiltupon.
Theyalsopreventthenaturallandwardmigrationofanerodingbeach.
Seethisgalleryofphotos(http://picasaweb.google.com/santaaguila/Armoring#)ofseawalls,
revetmentsandotherattemptsatshorelinearmoringfromaroundtheworld.
Whenwaveshitasmooth,solidseawall,thewaveisreflectedbacktowardstheocean.Thiscan
makemattersworse.Thereflectedwave(thebackwash)takesbeachsandwithit.Boththebeach
andthesurfmaydisappear.

Seawallscancauseincreasederosioninadjacentareasofthebeachthatdonothaveseawalls.
Thissocalled"flankingerosion"takesplaceattheendsofseawalls.Waveenergycanbereflected
fromaseawallsidewaysalongtheshore,causingcoastalbluffswithoutprotectiontoerodefaster.
Whenitisnecessarytobuildaseawall,itshouldhaveasloped(notvertical)face.Seawallsshould
alsohavepocketsandgroovesinthemthatwilluseuptheenergyofthewavesinsteadof
reflectingit.
Usuallythemostcosteffective,environmentalsolutionistomovethebuildingawayfromdanger.
Buildingseawallswillbuytimeagainstnaturalprocesses,butitwillnot"solvetheproblem"of
erosionbywaves.

(/File:Seawall_graphic.gif)

Groins
Groins(/Groin)areanotherexampleofahardshorelinestructuredesignedassocalled
"permanentsolution"tobeacherosion.Agroinisashorelinestructurethatisperpendiculartothe
beach.Itisusuallymadeoflargeboulders,butitcanbemadeofconcrete,steelorwood.Itis
designedtointerruptandtrapthelongshoreflowofsand.Sandbuildsupononesideofthegroin
(updriftaccretion)attheexpenseoftheotherside(downdrifterosion).Ifthecurrentdirectionis
constantallyearlong,agroin"steals"sandthatwouldnormallybedepositedonthedowndriftend
ofthebeach.Theamountofsandonthebeachstaysthesame.Agroinmerelytransferserosion
fromoneplacetoanotherfurtherdownthebeach.

(/File:Groin.gif)

Groinsoccasionallyimprovetheshapeofsurfingwavesbycreatingaripcurrentnexttotherocks.
Theripcanbeahazardtoswimmers.Theripcanalsodivertbeachsandontooffshoresandbars,
therebyacceleratingerosion.Groinscanalsoruinthesurf.Ifthewavesarereflectedofftherocks,
thewavesmaylosetheirshapeand"closeout."
Assoonasonegroinisbuilt,propertyownersdowndriftofitmaystartclamoringforthe
governmenttobuildgroinstosave"their"beach.Eventually,thebeachmaybecomelinedwith
groins.Sincenonewsandisaddedtothesystem,groinssimply"steal"sandfromonepartofthe
beachsothatitwillbuilduponanotherpart.Therewillalwaysbebeacherosiondowndriftofthe
lastgroin.

Breakwaters
Abreakwater(/Breakwater)isalargepileofrocksbuiltparalleltotheshore.Itisdesignedtoblock
thewavesandthesurf.Somebreakwatersarebelowthewater'ssurface(asubmerged
breakwater).Breakwatersareusuallybuilttoprovidecalmwatersforharborsandartificialmarinas.
Submergedbreakwatersarebuilttoreducebeacherosion.Thesemayalsobereferredtoas
artificial"reefs."
Abreakwatercanbeoffshore,underwaterorconnectedtotheland.Aswithgroinsandjetties,
whenthelongshorecurrentisinterrupted,abreakwaterwilldramaticallychangetheprofileofthe
beach.Overtime,sandwillaccumulatetowardsabreakwater.Downdriftsandwillerode.A
breakwatercancausemillionsofdollarsinbeacherosioninthedecadesafteritisbuilt.

BeachNourishment

Inrecentyears,thehardstructuresdescribedabovehavefallensomewhatoutoffavorby
communitiesduetothenegativeimpactswehavediscussed.Beachnourishment(orbeachfill
(/Beach_fill))isbecomingthefavored"soft"alternative.Beachnourishmentissimplydepositing
sandonthebeachinordertowidenit.Althoughpaidforbyalltaxpayers,itisfrequently
undertakentoprotectprivateoceanfrontbuildings.Occasionallythetaxpayingpublicisrefused
accesstobeachesthattheyhavepaidtoprotect.Sandnourishmentisacostly,temporarysolution.
Theprojectsarenotintendedtohavealonglifespanandmustberenourishedonaregularbasis,
creatingacyclethatwillgoonuntilthemoneyrunsoutorshorefrontbuildingsarerelocated.
Therearemanyconsiderationsthatmustaddressedwhendesigninganourishmentproject.Ifthe
grainsofsandarenotexactlythesamesizeasthatofthenaturalbeach,thenewlynourished
beachmayerodefasterthanthenaturalbeachwaseroding.Beachnourishmentcancausebottom
organismsandhabitatstobesmotheredby"turbid"waterthathassandandmudsuspendedinit.
Theshorelineismovedseawardintodeeperwater,causingthebeachtodropoffquickly,posinga
hazardtoswimmers.Thismayalsoimpactthesurfforaperiodoftime,causingthewavestobreak
asshorebreak,untilthebeachandsandbarscanreestablishalevelofequilibrium.

NavigationStructures

Harbors,NaturalandArtificial
OntheWestCoastoftheU.S.,artificialharbors
havebeenconstructedbybuildingaseriesof

(/File:Harbor_photo1.jpg)

breakwatersandjetties.Whenanartificial
harborisbuiltinanareathatissubjecttohigh
energywaveaction,itwillinvariablyinterruptthe
longshoreflowofsand.Thiswillcauseseriousdowndrifterosion.Someharbordesignsforcethe
longshorecurrenttomakea90degreeturntowardstheocean.Thiscausesalargeripcurrentthat
maycarrysandoffshorethatmightotherwiseremaininthesurfzone.Thiswillhavetheeffectof
completelychangingtheshapeoftheoceanbottom.Anartificialharbormouthcanactasatrapfor
thelongshoresandtransportcausingittoclogupwithsand,whichmakescostlyperiodicdredging
projectsnecessary.

(/File:Breakwaters.gif)

Naturalharbors,likeSanFranciscoBay,areprotectedfromtheocean'sfurybutarestillsubjectto
tidalandwaveenergy.Thiscauseswatermixingandcirculation.Stagnantartificialharborsare
easilypollutedbyboatingactivities:paint,oil,grease,garbageandillegallydumpedsewage.
Thesewastescanpoisonthelivingcreaturesthatswiminthesewaters.Whentheharboris
dredged,thesandandcontaminatedsedimentscannotbereturnedtothebeachesandmustbe
disposedofinasafeplace.Often,thesedimentsaredumpedindeeperwaters,poisoningthe
marinelifefoodweb.
Someharborshavebeenbuiltbydredgingwetlandareas.Wetlandsarehabitatforbirdsand
marinelife.Theycanalsoprovidewaterstoragecapacitytopreventcoastalfloodingduringrains.
Wetlandsarenaturalwaterfiltersthatpurifylandrunoffbeforeitenterstheocean.Dredginga

wetlandtobuildaboatharborshouldneverbedone.Wehavelostoverhalfthewetlandsinthe
U.S.tohumandevelopment.InCalifornia,wehavelostover94%ofourwetlands.

Jetties
Jetties(/Jetties)arelarge,manmadepilesofbouldersorconcretethatarebuiltoneithersideofa
coastalinlet.Whereasgroinsarebuilttochangetheeffectsofbeacherosion,jettiesarebuiltso
thatachanneltotheoceanwillstayopenfornavigationpurposes.Theyarealsobuilttoprevent
rivermouthsandstreamsfrommeanderingnaturally.
Jettiescompletelyinterruptorredirectthelongshorecurrent.Justasagroinaccumulatessandon
theupdriftside,sodojetties.Themajordifferenceisthatjettiesareusuallylongerthangroinsand
thereforecreatelargerupdriftbeachesattheexpenseofthesmallerdowndriftbeaches.
OnEastCoastbarrierislands,oceantidalinletsmigratenaturallywiththelongshorecurrent.Ajetty
systemwillpermanentlydisrupttheequilibriumofthebeach.Thismayseriouslyaffectthetidal
circulationandthehealthofthewetlandsbetweenthebarrierislandsandthemainland.
Inletswithshortjettiesthatdon'tquitereachthesurfwillclogupwithsand.Thesandmustbe
dredgedonaregularbasis.A"sandbypassing"systemmaybebuilttopumpsandaroundthe
jetties.Thesandpumpingmaycomefromwithintheinletorfromtheupdriftbeach.These
methodsareexpensiveandmustbemaintainedindefinitely.

(/File:Jetties.gif)

WhatYouCanDo

EnvironmentalImpacts
Beforeashorelinestructureisbuilt,thelocal
communitymustbeinformedofitsenvironmental
impacts.TheNationalEnvironmentalProtectionAct
(NEPA)mandatesthatanEnvironmentalImpact

(/File:Hatteras.jpg)

Statement(EIS)mustbepreparedtoidentify
environmentalimpactsoftheproject.Thisdocument
mustspelloutalleffectsthatanewstructurewillhave
onthesurroundingarea.Itisduringthescopingofandsubsequentpubliccommentperiod
ofpreparinganEISthatSurfriderFoundationactivistscanhavethegreatestimpactonthe
proposedproject.
TheEISprocessallowsactiviststoeducatethepublicabouttheproject'simpactsonthe
environment.WrittencommentsonthedraftEISarecrucialforlegalpurposes.Oralcommentsat
hearingsareevenmoreimportantbecausetheyarepickedupinthemedia,whichallowsmoreof
thepublictobecomeinformed.
Ourgoalistomakesurethatthelongtermeffectsandthetruecostsoftheprojectarecarefully
spelledoutforboththepublicandthedecisionmakers.Ifthereareenvironmentalimpacts,the
developermustprovidewaysto"mitigate"thedamage.Forinstance,iftheprojectwillcause
downcoasterosion,thedevelopermayberequiredtoinstallandmaintainasandreplenishment
systemorpromisetopostabondthatwillpayforperiodicsandreplenishmentaslongasthe
structureexists.Thismaybeimpractical.Ifthereiswildlifehabitatdestroyed,thedevelopermay
berequiredtorestorehabitatonsiteiffeasible.

TheOnlyPermanentSolution:Retreatfrom
theBeach(/Managed_Retreat)!
"Hard"shorelinestructureshavesevereenvironmentalimpactsonthelongshorecurrentandthe
naturalprocessesofbeachsanddistribution."Soft"solutionslikesandnourishmentareexpensive
andtemporary.Marinasshouldbebuiltinnaturalharborsawayfromtheenergyofthewaves.
Buildingonourocean'sshoreisnotagoodidea.NATUREWILLALWAYSPREVAIL.
Shorelineconstructionmeansthattaxpayerspaythebillswhentheoceanbehavesasexpected.
Whetheritisfiredepartmentrescues,thePublicWorksDepartmentplacingsandbags,thepolice
guardingvacantbuildingsfromlootersortheArmyCorpsofEngineersspendingmillionsto

"correcttheproblem,"taxpayersaretheoneswhopay.Shorelineprotectionis,often,"welfarefor
therich."
Shorelinepropertyownersfrequentlylimitthepublic'saccesstothebeachbyrefusingtoletthe
publiccrosstheirpropertytogettothebeach.
Shorelinebuildingalsomeanshabitatdestruction.Birds,plantsandanimalsthatcallcoastaldunes
andbeachestheirhomesareslowlybecomingextinct.
Ashumanscontinuetooverpopulateourcoastalareas(andtheplanet)wewillhavetobemore
thoughtfulaboutourrelationshipwiththeocean.SurfriderFoundationactivistswillcontinueto
educatethepublicaboutthenaturalprocessesthatcreateandmaintainourshoreline.Sometimes
shorelinestructuresmustbebuilt,butthepublicmustknowtheimpacts.Societywillhaveto
continuallypaytomaintainthestructuresandcorrecttheenvironmentaldamagecausedbythem.
Thebestsolutionistoretreatfromthebeach(/Managed_Retreat)andallownaturetoreplenish,
maintainandchangethebeachassheseesfit.

SurfriderFoundationBeachPreservationPolicy
Surfrider'sofficialpolicy(http://www.surfrider.org/pages/beachpreservationpolicy)regarding
beachpreservationandshorelinestructures.

RestoretheShoreVideo
VideoproducedbytheSanDiegoChapterofSurfriderFoundationdiscussingbeacherosion,
shorelinestructuresandwaystorespondtothechangingcoast.

NorthCarolina'sSummaryoftheEffectsofShoreline
Structures
Since1985,NorthCarolinaprohibitedshorelinearmoring.Thefollowingtext,fromthestate's2010
HabitatProtectionPlan(http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=f43f10b1b2bf
48958bab349e09fe88cc&groupId=38337)doesagoodjobexplainingthephysicalandecological
effectsofshorelinearmoring:

"Shorelinehardening,orhardstabilization,involvesconstructionofhardimmovable
engineeredstructures,suchasseawalls,rockrevetments,jetties,andgroins.Seawallsand
rockrevetmentsrunparalleltothebeach.Seawallsareverticalstructures,constructed
paralleltotheoceanshoreline,andareprimarilydesignedtopreventerosionandother
damageduetowaveaction.Revetmentsareshorelinestructuresconstructedparalleltothe
shorelineandgenerallyslopedinsuchawayastomimicthenaturalslopeoftheshoreline
profileanddissipatewaveenergyasthewaveisdirecteduptheslope.Breakwatersare
structuresconstructedwaterwardof,andusuallyparallelto,theshoreline.Theyattemptto
breakincomingwavesbeforetheyreachtheshoreline,orafacility(e.g.,marina)being
protected.Jettiesandgroinsaremanmadestructuresconstructedperpendiculartothe
beach,withjettiesusuallybeingmuchlonger,andarelocatedadjacenttoinletswiththe
purposeofmaintainingnavigationintheinletbypreventingsandfromenteringit.Incontrast,
terminalgroinsarestructuresbuiltattheendofalittoralcelltotrapandconservesandalong
theendofthebarrierisland,stabilizeinletmigration,andwidenaportionoftheupdriftbeach.
Terminalgroinsaredesignedsothatwhentheareabehindthegroinfillsinwithsand,
additionalsandwillgoaroundthestructureandentertheinletsystem.
Itiswellacceptedthathardstabilizationtechniquesalonghighenergyoceanshorelineswill
accelerateerosioninsomelocationalongtheshoreasaresultofthelongshoresediment
transportbeingaltered(Defeoetal.2009).Thehydromodificationsresultingfromcoastal
armoringmodifiessedimentgrainsize,increasesturbidityinthesurfzone,narrowsand
steepensbeaches,andresultsinreducedintertidalhabitatanddiversityandabundanceof
macroinvertebrates(WaltonandSensabaugh1979NRC1995Dolanetal.2004:2006
Pilkeyetal.1998Petersonetal.2000aMilesetal.2001Duganetal.2008Walkeretal.
2008RiggsandAmes2009).Astudylookingattheeffectofashortgroin(95m)onthe
benthiccommunityfoundthatthegroincreatedadepositionalconditionononesideofthe
structureanderosionontheother,andmacroinvertebratediversityandabundancewas
significantlyreducedwithin30mofthestructure,assandparticlesizeandsteepness
increased(Walkeretal.2008).Thechangeinbenthiccommunitywasattributedtothe
changeingeomorphologyofthebeach.Hardstructuresalongasandybeachcanalsoresult
inestablishmentofinvasiveepibenthicorganisms(ChapmanandBulleri2003).Asecondary
impactofhardenedstructuresisthattheareallossofbeachresultingfromhardeningof
shorelinesisoftenmanagedbyimplementingnourishmentprojects,possiblyhaving
additionaldamagetosubtidalbottom(Riggsetal.2009).Anchoringinletsalsoprevents
shoalformationanddiminishesebbtidaldeltas,whichareimportantforaginggroundsfor
manyfishspecies.Recognizingthathardenedstructuresaredamagingtorecreational
beachesandtheintertidalzone,fourstateshaveprohibitedshorelinearmoring:Maine,

RhodeIsland,SouthCarolina,andNorthCarolina(effectiveinNorthCarolinasince1985).
Perhapsthegreatestimpactofterminalgroinsandjettiesresultsinthelongtermeffecton
barrierislandsandtheeffectthatwillhaveonmarineandestuarineecosystems.By
stabilizingtheinlet,inletmigrationandoverwashprocessesareinterrupted,causinga
cascadeofothereffects(RiggsandAmes2009).InthecaseofOregonInlet,theterminal
groinanchoredthebridgetoPeaIslandandstoppedthemigrationoftheinletonthesouth
side.ButthecontinuingmigrationofthenorthendofBodieIslandledtoanincreasedneed
forinletdredging.Thecombinationofreducedlongshoretransportofsedimentduetothe
groinandthepoststormduneconstructiontoopenandprotectthehighwayprevented
overwashprocessesthatallowPeaIslandtomaintainitselevationovertime.Withoverwash
processesdisrupted,thebeachprofilehassteepened,andtheislandhasflattenedand
narrowed,increasingvulnerabilitytostormdamage(Dolanetal.2006RiggsandAmes
2009Riggsetal.2009).AtOregonInletandPeaIsland,theacceleratedneedforbeach
replenishmentisfurtheraggravatedbytheneedtomaintainHwy12onthenarrowingbeach.
From1983to2009approximately12.7millioncubicyardsofsandhavebeenaddedtothe
shorelinewithinthreemilesoftheterminalgroin(RiggsandAmes2009).Dolan(2006)
documentedthatthelargevolumesofsandreplenishmentinthisarea,requiredtomaintain
thechannel,protecttheroad,andmaintainabeachhaveresultedinasignificantreductionin
grainsizeandreductioninmolecrababundance.Molecrabsareconsideredanimportant
indicatorofbeachconditionsduetotheirimportanceinthefoodwebaspreyforshorebirds
andsurffish.Inadditiontocausingerosionondowndriftbeaches,alteringbarrierisland
migrationprocesses,andacceleratingtheneedforbeachnourishmentprojects,jetties
obstructlarvalfishpassagethroughadjacentinlets(Blantonetal.1999)."

ThisarticleispartofaseriesonShorelineStructures
(/Category:Shoreline_Structures)lookingattypesofstructures
commonlybuiltalongshorelines,andthepolicies,laws,and
regulationswhichcanaffectwhereandunderwhatconditions
theyarebuilt.
Forinformationaboutlaws,policiesandconditionsimpactingshorelinestructures
(/State_of_the_Beach/Beach_Indicators/Shoreline_Structures)inaspecificstate,please
visitSurfrider'sStateoftheBeach(/State_of_the_Beach)reporttofindtheStateReport
(/State_of_the_Beach/State_Reports)forthatstate,andclickonthe"ShorelineStructures"
indicatorlink.
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