Drastic beach changes in a low-energy environment caused by Hurricane Betsy

Abstract

During the past two years we have made a number of beach surveys in the course of terrain‐analytical studies in the Big Bend area of Florida (see Figure 1). The area of Alligator Spit and the islands to the southwest have been classified as a low‐energy environment [Tanner, 1960] on the basis of estimates of average breaker height (an inferred 6 cm at Alligator Spit). However, during these studies it became obvious that many beaches were eroded as much as several meters per year. The rate of erosion was greatest during the passage of hurricanes through the Gulf of Mexico, but it was not necessarily directly related to the passage of hurricanes through the Big Bend area.

Beach erosion and accretion at Virginia Beach, Virginia and vicinity / by Victor Goldsmith, Susan C. Sturm, and George R. Thomas ; prepared for U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Coastal Engineering Research Center.

“…Beach observations in this study indicate that the major factor concerning the occurrence of erosion is the height of the storm surge, which allows even moderate-size waves to erode parts of the beach (Warnke, et al, 1966).…”

Post-storm beach and dune recovery: Implications for barrier island resilience

“…The majority of studies focus on erosion of the beach and dune, and the immediate recovery of the nearshore and beach profile following storms (Zeigler et al, 1959;Warnke et al, 1966;Katuna, 1991;Sexton and Hayes, 1991). It is reasonable to expect that the lack of field data reflects the disparate timescales of impact and recovery (see Lee et al, 1998) and the difficulty in maintaining and acquiring funding for long-term beach and dune monitoring programs.…”

Influence of hurricanes on coastal ecosystems along the northern Gulf of Mexico

“…A number of studies show that erosion rates are high initially, but there is generally a rapid recovery to pre-hurricane status (Morgan et al 1958;Tanner 1961;Mclntire and Morgan 1962;Warnke et al 1966;Ball et al 1967;Hayes 1%7;Sonu 1970;Wright et al 1970;McGowen and Scott 1975;Morton 1976). Hurricanes can also result in net beach accretion via the formation of mud arcs (Morgan et al 1958;Perkins and Enos 1%8;Shinn et al 1%9;Ball et al 1%7), transport of offshore sands onshore (Kwon 1969;Wilkinson 1973), and washover fan formation (Andrews 1970;Wilkinson 1973;Leatherman 1976).…”