Saving America's Beaches

This unique book explains where beach sand comes from, how waves are formed and how they break and move sand down the coast, how engineering works have blocked this movement and caused beach erosion, and what can be done to save beaches for future generations of Americans. A three-part prescription for healthy beaches is outlined - backing off, bypassing sand, and beach nourishment.

The first edition of this book pointed out that over a billion cubic yards of beach sand have been removed from our beaches by engineering and that beach nourishment could save many American beaches. Indeed, since that first edition was published, we have surpassed one billion cubic yards of sand added to our beaches by beach nourishment. So for the first time in history, we have added more sand to our beaches than we have removed. Essentially, the past 50 years were a "catch-up phase" responding to previous beach sand removals and we are now entering a "maintenance phase." A question addressed in this new edition is the fate of our beaches as sea levels rise faster and coastal storms change in the coming decades.

This useful reference text explains beach processes, "Beach 101," to laypersons with correct, high-level information. It benefits elected officials, advisory panels, coastal planners and managers, and undergraduate and graduate students in ocean and coastal engineering, coastal management, coastal geomorphology, environmental and marine sciences.