well, keep it in perspective OB. If the bethany beach home owners are paying taxes, it is much different than the entire state or the country paying for that replenishment.
A little seawall info. Up in New Jersey (Sandy Hook down to Longbranch) the seawall was originally build for a train I think. Between those 2 spots there were many places (maybe even most) that had no beach and the waves would pound right in to the seawall and breach it on big storms. Sandy Hook faired better than most because most of the sand drifting north got caught on it's extra long jetties. Seabright had almost no beaches until you hit the beach clubs and Monmouth Beach to longbranch was mostly Seawall. Where there was a jetty a little beach would form on the south side only. For me this was fine, the waves were great and I never cared much about going to the beach other than surfing. It was exciting to surf big waves that ended into a 25 foot high wall of rocks. With a track record like that regarding seawalls I doubt that any town would choose that option to protect realestate.
"Sandy Hook faired better than most because most of the sand drifting north got caught on it's extra long jetties." I think that is what protects sand the best, long jetties that help hold the sand in place. I think that is Bethany's solution, not just pump and dump sand thinking it will stay for more than a year or two.
i look at both sides and I am on both sides. Yes, why is the fed involved. But, the local tax has increased directly because of the replenishment. And as a tourist town (the reality is, it is not a surfer town) the pay off to have a big beach far exceeds the wants of surfers. I guess I look at it like this just to except the simple fact that in my life time, I won't be surfing bethany (consistently speaking)...other then a quick on shore-off shore wind swell.
For once OBlove makes sense. Beachfront homes are a small part of the equation, creating a wider beach where families can plant themselves in the sand is the goal of replenishment. Although it may be an excercise in futility our local government will continue to push for more sand pumping, and very likely get it.
i'll admit I'm pretty ignorant of the science of beach replenishment, but couldn't they dredge the sand further offshore? I feel like that would probably benefit surfers, but more importantly would protect your average tourist swimming in the dangerous shore break.
Just a little info for everyone.... This is a picture of a groin not a jetty. jetties seperate inlets like indian river or downtown ocmd
wouldnt that just make the waves more powerful than it would just make all that sand go back out? It great for shreders tho
It's funny this thread was made because we are focusing on coastal processes in my geology course at UD right now. Mooseknuckle is right, these are groins, not jetties. Groins are placed in high tourist areas to increase sediment deposition in these areas. While we notice a dramatic display of erosion from the past noreaster, it will not stay. Longshore currents will carry the sediment to fill these areas back in. So this once wonderful break will return to shorepound. A nice project I would like to see DNREC implement would be breakwaters. (think of these as groins parallel to shore about 200 yards off of the beach). A sort of example of this would be in Lewes where the lighthouse is. Breakwaters can not only effectively prevent erosion but also can produce "point break"-like surf. The sediment is gathered behind the breakwaters and make a crescent shaped beach (kind of like Naval Jetty).
i dont know how much you have studied yet but here in the midatlantic we are in a current dominated coastline which replenishes sand very quickly. the gulf coast is dominated by tides while the west coast is dominated by wave energy... 3 types of coastlines: 1) rocky (dominated by wave energy) eg. west coast 2) tidal (dominated by tides) eg. gulf coast deltas 3) sandy (dominated by currents) eg. most of east coast *most areas south of the indian river pick up their sediment from that river. if you look at the barrier islands on google earth you can tell they are formed by sediment being transported from inland rivers
Sorry buddy, Incorrect. Maybe in some parts of the world but definitely not in OC. North currents dominate in this region. Think about the circular rotation of low-pressure systems - counter-clockwise. When they pass the coast and head NE or so, they spin currents in that direction and drag them along the shore south. That's why so much snow fence and signs from New Jersey wound up down here along the boardwalk area. All that sand comes down from all places north, mostly Delaware beaches, thus why they got hit harder by this past storm, because they don't have much protection to their north. It's an ever-continuous process that can never fully be stopped or prevented by man, and has been doing so for thousands of years. I'm not trying to rip on you or anything, but it is time to end the thread.
That's what I'm saying. Those groins that people are hopeful about are going to disappear in no time. As for barrier Islands and IRI which I didn't talk about before, we haven't gone into deeply. For barrier Islands on the East Coast like Assateague, that is not sediment from rivers in most places but are washover fans from storm surge and are causing islands to form and migrate inland (hence why there are tree stumps and marsh mud beneath the sand). For IRI, it experiences both. A longshore south current deposits sand on SS which is why they frequently pump sand over to NS. It also experiences heavy scouring in the inlet carrying grains out and depositing where there are weaker currents. I'm not an expert on this material by far, just getting into 300 level courses...hopefully I will be one day though.
So is this the spot where it got flooded out, right behind the dunes? Is this all current beach dune building, I mean like this year? I Haven't been up there for a while.. I'm guessing this dune system isn't doing too good right now.. But on the bright side, your houses are!!
you just reiteriated my point, look at the starvation of the beaches on north assateague.... still good to have a semi educated thread other then "this weekend"
I know what you're saying, I'm still not trying to talk down on your thoughts, but where would the sand come from for N. Assateague? Ever since they built the jetties for the mouth of the inlet, sand from the north cannot reach that part of the beach. This is why it "rolls" or moves back further than the rest of the island. It's kind of like supply and demand: Southern beaches need sand, gathered by groins, but if the sand does not flow NATURALLY then it has to come from somewhere right? That's why we get the recessed beach on N. Assateague. And you're right, good for open and intelligent discussion. When you look at enough beaches daily, you really start to get the picture.
I'm pretty sure that's not a house if that's where I think it is. Near Gordon's pond right outside of Rehomo. As for the Bethany picture I'm not sure when they were built, don't go there often.
