thumbnail

Shoreline change of western Long Island, New York, from satellite-derived shorelines

Coasts
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts5010002

Links

Abstract

Shoreline measurement techniques using satellite-derived imagery can provide decades of observations of shoreline change. Here we apply these techniques to the western south shore of Long Island, New York, which has three distinct beaches, Rockaway Peninsula, Long Beach, and Jones Beach Island, which are 18, 15, and 24 km in length, respectively. These beaches are recreation areas for millions of regional residents and include several groin fields, sediment dredging and nourishment operations, and a coastal wave climate that includes winter northeasterly storms and summer hurricanes. The shorelines along the western ends of these three beaches have been accreting at ~4 m/yr during the observation record (1984–2022) resulting from net westward longshore drift. The central 10–12 km of the beaches have lower shoreline change rates, and these rates are generally lowest within the groin fields (0.5–1.5 m/yr). Shoreline change observations also provide evidence for westward propagating accretion and erosion sediment waves that have durations of several years. Beach nourishment projects are shown to significantly influence rates of shoreline accretion, and this is commonly followed by significant shoreline retreat during the subsequent years.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Shoreline change of western Long Island, New York, from satellite-derived shorelines
Series title Coasts
DOI 10.3390/coasts5010002
Volume 5
Issue 1
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher MDPI
Contributing office(s) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Description 2, 29 p.
Country United States
State New York
Other Geospatial western Long Island
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details