Saving America's beaches : the causes of and solutions to beach erosion / Scott L. Douglas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Douglass, Scott L.

Series:

Advanced series on ocean engineering ; v. 19.

Advanced series on ocean engineering ; v. 19

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Beach erosion--United States.

Beach erosion.

Shore protection--United States.

Shore protection.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (102 p.)

Place of Publication:

River Edge, NJ : World Scientific, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book tells you where beach sand comes from, how waves are formed and how they break and move sand down the coast, how "works of man" have blocked this movement and caused beach erosion, and what can be done to save the beaches for future generations of Americans. A three-part prescription for healthy beaches is proposed: "backing off", "bypassing sand", and "beach nourishment". So if you love waves and beaches, and care about the future of your favorite beach spot, then read this book while you enjoy the beach.

Contents:

Contents; Preface Saving America's Beaches; Chapter 1 Beaches - America's Longest Playgrounds; Beaches are economic engines; Beaches are environmental treasures; Chapter 2 Our Jeweled Necklace of Sand - The Geology of Beaches; Beach sands; Sea level changes; Chapter 3 Surf's Up! - Waves and Their Effect on Beaches; Tides; Storm waves; Breaking waves; Rip currents; Sand bar movement; Chapter 4 ""Sand Thieves"" of the Beach - How We are Destroying Our Beaches; Ship channels as sand thieves; Beach sand robbery by groins; Beach sand robbery by inlet jetties

Beach sand robbery by western river structuresBeach sand robbery by sand mining; Beach sand robbery by seawalls; Chapter 5 ""Designer Beaches"" - Beach Nourishment Engineering; ""If sand is the problem then sand is the solution""; ""Beach nourishment is a journey not a destination""; Less sand is usually needed as time goes on; ""Bigger is better"" for beach nourishment performance; Predicting the fate of beach nourishment; ""Hotspots"" drive renourishment; Where does the sand come from?; How beaches are built; ""What you see is not what you get""; How expensive is beach nourishment?

Are nourished beaches as good as natural beaches?Wilderness beaches; Conclusion The Prescription for Saving America's Beaches; To Learn More About Beaches; The ""Fine Print"" - Acknowledgements Photo Credits References; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-87) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-92940-9

9786611929404

981-277-690-7