On-board a sand dredger, offshore Miami. Photograph courtesy of “Sand Wars” Award-Winning Filmmaker: © Denis Delestrac (©-2013).
“Development is absolutely responsible for the majority of the beach nourishment,” Andrew Coburn, assistant director of The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, said. “Well over 99 percent of the shorelines that are nourished are developed so there is some economic value placed behind them.”
Excerpts;
Miami is out of sand. Last year, Miami-Dade County depleted its offshore sand reserves, meaning miles of beaches that shrink from erosion must be replenished with sand from outside South Florida…
Read Full Article; Miami Herald (10-24-2017)
A swath of Miami Beach was washing away. The fix? Dump 285,000 tons of sand on it; Miami Herald (03-28-2017)
To widen a 3,000-foot stretch of Miami Beach’s shore that was washing away, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dumped 285,412 tons of sand on Mid-Beach, a $11.5 million project, funded with a combination of federal, state and county dollars….
How Hurricane Irma blew away the beach in Miami Beach; Miami Herald (09-19-2017)
Hurricane Irma smacked Miami Beach’s shoreline with enough wind and rain to reshape some of the water’s edge, including washing away chunks of sand from a recently completed $11.5 million beach widening project…
Us Warned: “Hands Off Our Beaches!”; Tribune 242 (01-04-2017)
The US is looking at Bahamian sand as a resource to shore-up Florida’s eroding coastline.
Sand’s end, The Verge (11-17-2016)
Miami Beach has run out of sand. Now what?..
Miami’s fight against rising seas; BBC (04-04-2017)
In the battle against rising seas, Florida – which has more to lose than almost anywhere else in the world – is becoming ground zero…
Atlantic City and Miami Beach: two takes on tackling the rising waters; Guardian UK (03-20-2017)
Despite Rising Seas and Bigger Storms, Florida’s Land Rush Endures; The New York Time (09-18-2017)
Coastal geologist criticizes beach renourishment efforts; By Robert S. Young, PhD; The State (08-17-2016)
Rob Young, who heads the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University, said the government is subsidizing coastal development with renourishment money – and that’s costing taxpayers. Communities across the country have spent millions of dollars renourishing beaches. Those efforts encourage people to rebuild after every major hurricane…
Is Beach Renourishment Worth The Money? WWAY News (02-16-2015)
Economy Winner, Environment Loser in Renourishment; Pensacola News Journal (12-02-2015)
Beach replenishment may have far reaching impacts on ecosystems;” Phys.Org (03-29-2016)
UC San Diego biologists who examined the biological impact of replenishing eroded beaches with offshore sand found that such beach replenishment efforts could have long-term negative impacts on coastal ecosystems…
