Event Title
Seasonal littoral drift of nourished sediment on Marine Park Beach
Description
Fairhaven Marine Park was the subject of a restoration project in the spring of 2005. This research focused on determining short term (seasonal) sediment transport for pebble size sediment on Fairhaven Marine Park Beach. Sediment tracer tracking has been established as an accurate method to determine seasonal littoral drift. Pebble size sediment, representative of the sediment on Marine Park Beach, was divided into nine groups. Each group consisted of five to six colored pebbles placed at one of three starting points along a beach profile. Pebble movement was recorded daily from Jan 27th to Feb 11th depending on tidal access. The majority of pebbles showed an offshore trend in sediment transport and northerly alongshore movement. Seasonal sediment transport however, may not be indicative of net yearly sediment transport. The continued maintenance of Marine park beach must rely on current and accurate data to determine appropriate preservation methods; therefore this research provides a starting point for continued sediment transport research.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2008 8:00 AM
Subject - LCSH
Sediment transport--Washington (State)--Bellingham--Fairhaven Marine Park
End Date
8-3-2008 5:00 PM
Session
Poster Session
Genre/Form
posters
Type
event
Geographic Coverage
Fairhaven Marine Park (Bellingham, Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Keywords
beach nourishment, Marine Park, sediment tracers
Seasonal littoral drift of nourished sediment on Marine Park Beach
Fairhaven Marine Park was the subject of a restoration project in the spring of 2005. This research focused on determining short term (seasonal) sediment transport for pebble size sediment on Fairhaven Marine Park Beach. Sediment tracer tracking has been established as an accurate method to determine seasonal littoral drift. Pebble size sediment, representative of the sediment on Marine Park Beach, was divided into nine groups. Each group consisted of five to six colored pebbles placed at one of three starting points along a beach profile. Pebble movement was recorded daily from Jan 27th to Feb 11th depending on tidal access. The majority of pebbles showed an offshore trend in sediment transport and northerly alongshore movement. Seasonal sediment transport however, may not be indicative of net yearly sediment transport. The continued maintenance of Marine park beach must rely on current and accurate data to determine appropriate preservation methods; therefore this research provides a starting point for continued sediment transport research.