Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College/School
College of Science and Mathematics
Department/Program
Earth and Environmental Studies
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Jorge Lorenzo Trueba
Committee Member
Josh Galster
Committee Member
Clement Alo
Abstract
To combat the effects of relative sea level rise and the natural erosional processes affecting the sandy, diffusive beaches of New Jersey, most communities utilize beach nourishment to stabilize their beaches. Beach nourishment, the practice of artificially widening the beach berm with sand from other areas, not only stabilizes beaches but also protects oceanfront homes from storm surges, while adding recreational space and tourism value. These benefits are reflected in increased property values, most notably in oceanfront properties. The diffusive nature of these beaches, however, means that individual nourishment events are inherently shared with neighboring communities as sand is readily dispersed throughout the coastal system. While natural coastal processes drive sediment fluxes that affect beach widths, community nourishment decisions have significantly altered the natural system and therefore play a critical role in nourishment outcomes. Prior research has looked at the interplay between beach nourishment efforts and property values, coastal evolution, and community decision-making in the context of coordination or the lack thereof. However, there has been little examination of how beach nourishment efforts are distributed among communities, and how these distributed efforts affect beach nourishment efficiencies. By examining regional beach nourishment and property value data in concert with satellite imagery, we found that less wealthy communities in New Jersey typically place more sand on their beaches yet have lower nourishment efficiencies, meaning they retain less of the nourishment sand they place. When explored in the context of coupled communities or barrier island systems, we observe transfers of benefits, where the less wealthy communities who nourish more effectively provide sand to their wealthier neighbors. Prior research indicates that this transfer of benefits is likely not limited to sand gains, but these communities who nourish less but with higher efficiency may be gaining greater economic benefits as well.
File Format
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Owen, "Transferred Benefits in Inter-Community Beach Nourishment: A Field Study on Efficiency" (2024). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1443.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1443