Abstract
The western shore of the Delaware Bay estuary is lined with low-profile fetch-limited barrier beaches. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 to provide habitat to migratory waterfowl. Two study sites are adjacent to the refuge, Prime Hook Beach with a community of houses along the water and Fowler Beach, which is undeveloped. Construction in the region has impacted coastal hydrology and longshore sediment transport throughout the last century. After the 1962 nor’easter, soft stabilization and beach scraping became common. Scraping artificial dunes has also become a method of choice to isolate freshwater marshes from the bay. Both methods require frequent repetition as well as permits and lengthy planning processes. Benefits from this type of stabilization include an increase in recreational appeal, preservation of freshwater habitat and sustained property values for private landholders. Negative impacts of stabilization include overhead costs to taxpayers, degradation of natural habitat, loss of aesthetics of natural beaches, and continued public expectation of government intervention. As the threats of rising sea level and more frequent storms increase, beach overtopping and marsh inundation will become more frequent. Coastal development and infrastructure is at continued risk of flooding. Future management must take a long-term perspective on these realities and plan for the changing coastline.
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Abbreviations
- DelDOT:
-
Delaware Department of Transportation
- DNREC:
-
Delaware Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Control
- NOAA:
-
United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
- PHNWR:
-
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
- USFWS:
-
United Stated Fish and Wildlife Service
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Acknowledgements
This work is a result of student research funded by the University of Delaware. We would also like to thank Evelyn Maurmeyer, Michael Stroeh, and Rob Young for their help and advice.
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Stevens, H., Trembanis, A. (2012). Stabilizing the Forgotten Shore: Case Study from the Delaware Bay. In: Cooper, J., Pilkey, O. (eds) Pitfalls of Shoreline Stabilization. Coastal Research Library, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4123-2_16
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