Assessing the environmental impacts of beach nourishment
Peterson, C.H.; Bishop, M.J. (2005). Assessing the environmental impacts of beach nourishment. BioScience 55(10): 887-896
In: BioScience. American Institute of Biological Sciences: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0006-3568; e-ISSN 1525-3244, more
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| Keywords |
Accretion > Beach accretion > Beach nourishment
Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic animals > Marine invertebrates
Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic mammals > Marine mammals
Climatic changes
Environmental impact
Fauna > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic animals > Shellfish > Marine organisms > Marine crustaceans
Monitoring
Reviews
Temporal variations
Temporal variations > Long-term changes > Sea level changes
Topographic features > Landforms > Coastal landforms > Beaches
Decapoda [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Peterson, C.H.
- Bishop, M.J.
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| Abstract |
With sea levels rising under global warming, dredge-and-fill programs are increasingly employed to protect coastal development from shoreline erosion. Such beach “nourishment” can bury shallow reefs and degrade other beach habitats, depressing nesting in sea turtles and reducing the densities of invertebrate prey for shorebirds, surf fishes, and crabs. Despite decades of agency-mandated monitoring at great expense, much uncertainty about the biological impacts of beach nourishment nonetheless exists. A review of 46 beach monitoring studies shows that (a) only 11 percent of the studies controlled for both natural spatial and temporal variation in their analyses, (b) 56 percent reached conclusions that were not adequately supported, and (c) 49 percent failed to meet publication standards for citation and synthesis of related work. Monitoring is typically conducted through project promoters, with no independent peer review, and the permitting agencies exhibit inadequate expertise to review biostatistical designs. Monitoring results are rarely used to scale mitigation to compensate for injured resources. Reform of agency practices is urgently needed as the risk of cumulative impacts grows. |
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