2019 Beaches Conference Concurrent 1 Long Descriptions – Understanding Beach Change Along the Maine and New Hampshire Coastlines
Understanding Beach Change Along the Maine and New Hampshire Coastlines
This session will provide updates on shoreline change trends along Maine and New Hampshire Beaches. It will also share specific techniques learned by profiling volunteers that will help ensure quality beach profile data
Robert Furman
Assessing the Stability of New Hampshire Beaches: Involving the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire State Agencies, and Citizen Scientists
The stability of New Hampshire (NH) beaches in terms of long-term erosion or accretion has not been well documented. To address this gap, studies were initiated by the University of New Hampshire (UNH), New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP), and New Hampshire Geological Survey (NHGS) starting in 2015 along the NH coast to provide an understanding of seasonal changes, the impacts of storms, and sediment composition. However, a major gap in this effort is a long-term monitoring program of multiple beaches documenting erosion and accretion trends. To address this need, UNH, NHCP, and NHGS partnered to develop a volunteer beach profile monitoring program (VBPMP) in 2016. Over the last three years the VBPMP had grown to monitoring thirteen stations at six NH beaches. The beach profiles are monitored by citizen volunteers at monthly intervals over the year and periodically after major storms. The goal is to develop a database to aid coastal management decisions at local, state, and federal levels. This presentation will provide an overview of the studies of the NH beaches, emphasizing results from the VBPMP.
The State of Maine’s Beaches in 2019
The State of Maine’s Beaches in 2019 will summarize the most recent beach changes observed from analysis of volunteer beach profile data collected by the Southern Maine Beach Profiling Program and shoreline positions collected as part of the Maine Geological Survey’s Maine Beach Mapping Program. Specific attention will be paid to the impacts of the winter storms of 2018 (January through March) on beaches and observed recovery. The presentation will coincide with release of the companion State of Maine’s Beaches in 2019 report. Attendees will gain an understanding of the most recent shoreline change trends along southern Maine’s beaches.
Peter Slovinsky
Stephen Dickson
Three (or Four) Ways to Improve Your Beach Profiles
This presentation will highlight several different ways that volunteers can improve the beach profile accuracy provided to the SMBPP. These are: 1) You need a clear horizon…; 2) Make sure your poles are straight; and 3) It’s not important when you start, but it IS important to carefully note when you stop! The slides will explain why these 3 notions are important, including a little math & geometry.