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Assessing Natural and Mechanical Dune Performance in a Post-Hurricane Environment

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Assessing Natural and Mechanical Dune Performance in a Post-Hurricane Environment Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Article Assessing Natural and Mechanical Dune Performance in a Post-Hurricane Environment Jean T. Ellis * and Mayra A. Román-Rivera Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 1 April 2019; Accepted: 29 April 2019; Published: 2 May 2019 Abstract: The purpose of this study is to document the geomorphic evolution of a mechanical dune over approximately one year following its installation and compare it to the recovery of a natural dune following the impact of Hurricane Matthew (2016). During the study period, the dunes’ integrity was tested by wave and wind events, including king tides, and a second hurricane (Irma, 2017), at the end of the study period. Prior to the impact of the second hurricane, the volumetric increase of the mechanical and natural dune was 32% and 75%, respectively, suggesting that scraping alone is not the optimal protection method. If scraping is employed, we advocate that the dune should be augmented by planting. Ideally, the storm-impacted dune should naturally recover. Post-storm vegetation regrowth was lower around the mechanical dune, which encouraged aeolian transport and dune deflation. Hurricane Irma, an extreme forcing event, substantially impacted the dunes. The natural dune was scarped and the mechanical dune was overtopped; the system was essentially left homogeneous following the hurricane. The results from this study question the current practice of sand scraping along the South Carolina coast, which occurs post-storm, emplacement along the former primary dune line, and does not include the planting of vegetation. Keywords: coastal stabilization; dune recovery; hurricane impact; aeolian geomorphology; beach scraping 1. Introduction Increasing storm frequency and growing populations along the coastal zone force coastal zone managers to intricately balance nature and society. When storms threaten to devastate this region, action must be taken to protect coastal infrastructure and life. Beach scraping is one such method employed after storms where nearshore sand is artificially transported to create a berm or a dune-like landform. This is a common practice along the U.S. East Coast [1]. Especially in South Carolina, it is believed that scraping protects coastal infrastructure from near-term high tide and king tide flooding events occurring shortly after substantial storms [2]. King tides are naturally-occurring elevated water levels that South Carolina has defined as meeting or exceeding 6.6 ft (2.0 m) at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge [3]. Following the hurricanes impacting the community of Isle of Palms, SC, scraped sand is placed along the former primary dune line. Here we describe the ~10 month evolution of these scraped (herein mechanical) dunes compared to the recovery of natural dunes following a hurricane and several mid-latitude cyclones. We also present the morphological changes after a hurricane impact (Irma) that impacted the system approximately 10 months after emplacement of the mechanical dune. The results from this study question the effectiveness of the current practice of post-storm sand scraping along the South Carolina coast, which is emplaced along the former primary dune line and does not include the planting of vegetation. Beach-dune systems provide a natural defense against coastal storms. The level of protection offered by these dunes is related to their size and their ability to withstand the threat of wind and wave attack [4]. Unfortunately, in many coastal locations, the size and extent of natural dune systems have J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, 126; doi:10.3390/jmse7050126 www.mdpi.com/journal/jmse J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 16 J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, 126 2 of 15 wave attack [4]. Unfortunately, in many coastal locations, the size and extent of natural dune systems have been reduced, as coastal infrastructure expands [5]. In developed areas, alternative dune buildingbeen reduced, strategies as coastal must be infrastructure employed to expands counteract [5]. the In developedeffects of diminishing areas, alternative natural dune coastal building land spacestrategies [4]. must be employed to counteract the effects of diminishing natural coastal land space [4]. BeachBeach scrapingscraping is is a softa soft engineering engineering technique techniqu thate isthat not partis not of thepart beach of the nourishment beach nourishment framework frameworkbecause no because new sediment no new is introducedsediment is intointroduced the system into [ 6the]. During system scraping, [6]. During sand scraping, is redistributed sand is redistributedwithin the beach-dune within the system, beach-dune which system, artificially which disrupts artificially the beachdisrupts and the dune beach sediment and dune budgets sediment and budgetsthe long-term and the environmental long-term environmental resilience of theresilience beach-dune of the system beach-dune ([7]; c.f., system [8] for ([7]; a comprehensive c.f., [8] for a comprehensivereview of beach-dune review interactions). of beach-dune For interactions). example, from For a biologicalexample, from perspective, a biological [9] found perspective, a decline [9] of foundghost crabsa decline for 6–8 of ghost months crabs after for a beach6–8 months face was afte bulldozedr a beach forface scraping. was bulldo Figurezed1 fora shows scraping. sand Figure being 1ascraped shows from sand the being nearshore, scraped which from was the eventuallynearshore, placed which along was eventually the former primaryplaced along dune the line, former which primaryis shown dune in Figure line,1 whichb. is shown in Figure 1b. (a) (b) FigureFigure 1. 1. SandSand scraping scraping along along the the Is Islele of of Palms, Palms, SC SC where where ( (aa)) shows shows the the sand sand source source in in nearshore nearshore and and ((b)) shows shows the emplacement of the sand al alongong the former primary dune line. TheThe short-term short-term geomorphic geomorphic impacts impacts of ofscraping scraping to the to beach-dune the beach-dune system system are moderately are moderately well- documented,well-documented, however, however, it itis is notnot well well understood understood whether whether the source the beachsource experiences beach experiences any morphologic any morphologicimpacts from impacts scraping from [1] or scraping whether [1] or or not whether the profile or not gradient the profile is steepened gradient [10 is,11 steepened]. The immediate [10,11]. Thepost-construction immediate post-construction morphology of morphology a mechanical of dune a mechanical is substantially dune is differentsubstantially from different a natural from dune. a naturalThe mechanical dune. The dune mechanical also has poor dune internal also stratificationhas poor internal [12] and stratifica the sandtion is more [12] poorly and the sorted, sand compared is more poorlyto natural sorted, dunes compared [13], which to isnatural expected dunes because [13], the wh sandich is source expected is the because beach. While the sand this maysource not is seem the beach.critical, While previous this work may suggestsnot seem that critical, a relationship previous existswork between suggests aeolian that a sedimentrelationship transport exists ratesbetween and aeoliansediment sediment sorting [14 transport]. [13] found rates higher and rates sediment of sediment sorting transport [14]. [13] on scrapedfound dunes,higher comparedrates of sediment to natural transportdune surfaces, on scraped and that dunes, the remaining compared deposits to natural on the du scrapedne surfaces, surfaces and werethat coarser.the remaining Sediment deposits transport on therates scraped also depend surfaces upon were the dune coarser. shape. Sediment Computational transport fluid rates dynamic also (CFD)depend modeling upon the of scrapeddune shape. dunes Computationalrevealed that a dykefluid structuredynamic (or (CFD) inverted modeling “U”-shaped of scra dune)ped dunes experiences revealed the that most a sedimentdyke structure transport, (or invertedwhich will “U”-shaped inhibit dune dune) recovery experiences [15]. This is the notable most because sediment it is thetransport, evolutionary which shape will of inhibit the typical dune (to recoverythe South [15]. Carolina This coast)is notable inverted because “V”-shaped it is the ev mechanicalolutionary dune. shape of the typical (to the South Carolina coast)Several inverted studies “V”-shaped have investigated mechanical dune. the physical aspects of beach scraping, but the findings are inconsistent.Several studies These previoushave investigated studies that the were physical conducted aspects along of beach the U.S.scraping, East Coast but the from findings Maryland are inconsistent.to Florida range These in durationprevious fromstudies 15 that months were (with conducted 10 surveys along of the Myrtle U.S. East Beach, Coast SC; [from16]) toMaryland one day to(immediately Florida range post-storm; in duration [17 from]). [1 15] conducted months (with bi-weekly 10 surveys studies of Myrtle for one Beach, year at SC; Topsail [16]) to Beach, one day NC (immediatelyduring a period post-storm; that included [17]). Hurricane [1] conducted Hugo bi-weekly and found studies that the for scraped one year dunes at Topsail were “ine Beach,ffective” NC duringduring a Hurricane period that Hugo. included The Hurricane scraped dunesHugo an lostd found almost that 19 timesthe scraped
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