What’s up?
Beach fill is the process of adding additional sand to a beach to prevent erosion and increase its size. The sand is often dredged offshore and pumped directly onto the beach.
Beaches are critical to protecting the coast from the effects of storms and sea level rise.
Shorelines are dynamic and constantly changing in response to wave action and atmospheric processes. Beach fill aims to stabilise these areas to protect beaches for recreational or ecological purposes and to protect coastal areas.
Why it is important.
While beach restoration often attempts to restore important habitats and ecosystem services, the process can have adverse impacts on the natural environment.
The sudden dumping of large amounts of sediment can suffocate animals on the seabed, alter water quality, and significantly change the appearance and function of a stretch of coastline.
In addition, reclaimed beaches must be continually replenished as wave activity continues to erode the shoreline. This is an expensive, repetitive process that does not address the root cause of coastal erosion.
What you can do.
More than half of Florida’s coastline is considered severely eroded, and natural resource experts are trying to figure out how best to address climate change, especially in the areas where its effects will be felt most quickly.
There are several ways to counteract erosion in the state. In addition to beach replenishment, shore reinforcement (building sea walls and bulkheads) is often used, but this can inhibit habitat growth and even increase erosion on nearby properties. Soft armoring techniques such as lliving coasts are coastal management techniques that have been proven to combat erosion without many of the disadvantages of beach fill.
You may be able to help build or monitor living shorelines in your area through citizen science programs.
Information from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, and Explore Beaches at UC Santa Barbara.
