How Effective Were the Beach Nourishments at Cancun?

Abstract

Beach nourishment is generally seen as the preferred means of rectifying coastal erosion, due to its low environmental impact and natural evolution. The largest beach nourishment project ever carried out in Mexico took place on Cancun beach in 2006, as a response to the most intense hurricane season ever registered in Mexico, in 2005. After Hurricane Dean, in 2009, a second nourishment was conducted, which evidenced flaws in the design and execution of the first project. Previous investigations report that the need for beach re-fills directly correlates with wave energy. However, following a thorough revision of the extreme climatic events that occurred between 1978 and 2018, it has been found that the amount of erosion also depends on the frequency and duration of high energy events. The findings also show that the apparent success of the second nourishment is mainly associated with a decline in the number of extreme wave power events impacting the beach. In the conclusion to this paper, we share the knowledge gained, but not yet applied, in Mexico or elsewhere, regarding beach use, urbanization, and protection in beach planning.

Morphodynamic Evolution of Post-Nourishment Beach Scarps in Low-Energy and Micro-Tidal Environment

“…During Hato, the total water level induced by the storm surge was approximately 3.7 m, which was much higher than the berm height (3.0 m), leading to the smoothing of the upper beach and complete removal of beach scarps (Figure 11c). Scarp destruction during storms was also observed by Bonte and Levoy [6], van Bemmelen [26], and Martell et al [27]. This type of destruction mechanism corresponded to the inundation regime described by van Bemmelen et al [3].…”

A Framework to Manage Coastal Squeeze

“…This model uses a second-order approximation of the modified version of the mild-slope and can implicitly solve refraction, reflection, shoaling, diffraction, and dissipation by friction and wave breaking. The model was forced with a long swell induced by Hurricane Matthew, 1 October, 2016 (wave height Hs = 1 m, peak period Tp = 15 s, and incident direction θ = 120 • clockwise from the north; [50]). The wave features and intensities are very similar in the two scenarios from the open sea to the fore reef zone.…”

Evolution of Sediment Parameters after a Beach Nourishment

“…In fact, houses built in non-nourishing zones tend to be significantly smaller than those located in nourishing zones [9]. In areas where there is potential for tourist or urban development and erosion problems are detected, scientifically based engineering solutions are expected to control or mitigate these phenomena [10]. Additionally, a great number of residents of coastal areas are aware of coastal erosion/beach loss, which is important to raise a better understanding of coastal risks and hazards [11].…”