Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Oceanography
Specialization
Marine Geology and Geophysics
Department
Oceanography
First Advisor
J. P. Walsh
Abstract
Ocean coastlines, including barrier systems, are important environmentally and economically, providing valuable habitat as well as key infrastructure for communities and coastal resilience. Oceanfront relief, including foredunes, varies along coastlines and serves as the first barrier to ocean-driven wave and surge damage. Forecasted increases in storm frequency, intensity, and sea levels are anticipated to enhance coastal erosion, and as a result, the beach and upland transition areas are likely to continue to undergo changes. The land-sea transition is variable along the New England coast with a mixture of sedimentary and rocky coasts, hardened structures, and a geology that reflects its glacial history. This variability has produced a range of coastal morphologies that can vary over short distances. It is important to track the evolution of the beach transition zone (BTZ) to better understand the variability in form. Also, these changes have a critical role in the defense of coastal inland areas from ocean-driven damage.
A combination of field and computer-based methods were used to evaluate the BTZ of southwestern Rhode Island to determine loss and recovery over time and space, and detailed change mapping during the stormy 2023-2024 winter season was also accomplished using drone surveys. Across the study region, a decrease in the number of dunes present post Hurricane Sandy (2012) was measured, with partial recovery taking place through 2022. Additionally, a net migration landward was determined for all types of BTZs including a pattern of rapid erosion and slow recovery at the focused study sites of Moonstone Beach and South Kingstown Town Beach. The greatest shoreline transformations this winter occurred in response to strong storms in December 2023 and January 2024. The measured data give evidence of the idea of episodic erosion with landward migration and continual reshaping by hydrodynamic and aeolian forcings. The classification approach and BTZ insights from this research will be informative for future planning by coastal communities as they strive to respond to shoreline change and mitigate erosion.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Points, Bess, "CHARACTERIZATION AND DYNAMICS OF BEACH-UPLAND TRANSITION: INSIGHTS FROM SOUTHWESTERN RHODE ISLAND, U.S.A" (2024). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2542.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2542