Dune Monitoring Data Update Summary: 2013

The Shoreline Studies Program at VIMS established a beach and dune monitoring program for nine sites around the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay (Milligan et al., 2005). These sites were monitored twice yearly for four years (2001-2004). In addition to three years of relatively calm conditions, these data included the impact of Hurricane Isabel, a nearly 100-yr event, on the Bay’s shorelines. The shoreline’s change due to the storm and their subsequent short-term recovery was documented by this data. Since the end of the monitoring program other events have impacted Chesapeake Bay shorelines. In order to document the longer-term recovery of these systems, additional monitoring occurred. Several of these sites are man-influenced and have upland development behind the dune. Understanding storm impacts and shoreline recovery is critical knowledge when determining the suitability of living shoreline options (i.e. beach/dune) in higher energy environments. In addition, the overall stability of these sites and their response to physical forcing can provide important information when developing guidelines for beach and dune encroachment. Six of these sites were resurveyed in the spring of 2009 (O’Brien et al., 2009)