ABSTRACT
Studies undertaken in the coastal zone (by the Coastal Research Group) can be classified into three categories, dependent upon the scale and detail of the study: (1) reconnaissance of a large section of coast (2) studies at the intermediate level which involve some systematic process measurements, and (3) detailed time-series studies of a small area.
At the reconnaissance scale, a method of study (zonal method) has been developed which is based upon a systematic sampling program and upon the quantitative investigation of representative geomorphic units or zones. This approach has provided a rapid method for synthesizing critical environmental properties of large coastal areas, such as the glacial outwash plain shoreline of southeastern Alaska and the southern half of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The intermediate scale of investigation is by far the most common and usually provides the explanation of coastal phenomena at the local level. A study of the sedimentation and hydrography of the entrance to the Merrimack River, Mass., a tidal inlet that persistently resists engineering efforts to stabilize it, is an example of this level of study.
Continuous detailed studies provide the most effective approach for gaining an understanding of the complex and interrelated problems of process and response within the littoral zone. Without this kind of data and explanation of specific processes, generalizations at the higher level are weakened considerably. A 660 m section of the barrier island at Plum Island, Mass. was studied in detail for 43 days during the summer of 1971 and 27 days during the winter of 1972 to provide a continuous three-dimensional picture of the processes and response for a variety of wave and tidal conditions.
