Effectiveness of Beach Nourishment on Cohesive Shores, St. Joseph, Lake Michigan.
Abstract
This report describes a study of the effectiveness of beach nourishment along the cohesive shore of St. Joseph Harbor on Lake Michigan. Objectives of the study were as follows: To improve understanding of the sediment transport processes for both fine-grain and coarse-grain sand components at this site. To improve understanding of the relationship between movement of the cohesionless sediment (both fine and coarse-grain components) and the irreversible downcutting of the underlying glacial till (cohesive sediment) at this site. To apply the improved understanding of the sediment transport and erosion processes in developing recommendations for beach nourishment at the St. Joseph site. To formulate general principles for beach nourishment of cohesive shore sites that suffer from a sediment supply deficit due to the presence of an uplift littoral barrier. Data in the form of repeated beach profiles, lake bed bathymetry, and shoreline recession rates are summarized. The results of a series of analyses performed to develop an understanding of the evolution of the shoreline and lake bed in the vicinity of St Joseph, and the influence of the beach nourishment program on this evolution, are presented. A descriptive model of the historic coastal morphodynamics in the vicinity of St. Joseph is developed and presented, and this descriptive model is used to project the future evolution of coastal morphology. recommendations for future nourishment efforts at St Joseph are made on the basis of establishing realistic goals for the program
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA329286
Entities
People
- Andrew Morang
- Peter Zuzek
- Robert B. Nairn