ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews available principles and introduces new principles for the design of beach nourishment projects. Beach nourishment, the placement of substantial quantities of compatible sand to advance the shoreline seaward is a viable approach to mitigation of shoreline recession. The primary cause of natural shoreline retreat is the relative rise in sea level which is on the order of 15 to 30 cm/century. Although guidelines are available for selecting some design parameters, improved procedures are required to enhance the capability to: predict the slope adjustment that will occur due to placement of nourishment material on a slope steeper than that of the equilibrium profile. Sediment is lost from the original location of a beach nourishment project by several mechanisms and pathways. Human interactions with the shoreline can also cause beach erosion and include: the modification of inlets to improve navigation; the construction of shoreline structures updrift of an area; and the removal of sediment from the shoreline.
