Aj. Reed et Jt. Wells, Sediment distribution patterns offshore of a renourished beach: Atlantic Beach and Fort Macon, North Carolina, J COAST RES, 16(1), 2000, pp. 88-98
Contour plots of sediment characteristics have been used to help delineate
the regional distribution of native, renourishment, and relict sediments of
f a renourished beach on the central North Carolina coast. Shell color, she
ll polish, and sediment size (sorting) were found to be especially useful i
ndicators of dispersal patterns of renourishment sands, which were characte
rized by a high percentage of fine-grained sediment and a high percentage o
f dull, pockmarked shell that was gray-to-black in color. Distribution patt
erns show that longshore transport of renourishment sediment has been minor
and little sand from a recent renourishment project was supplied to the ad
jacent native beaches. However, possible cross-shore transport was identifi
ed in storm layers (shell hash) in offshore sediment cores, and additional
evidence was provided by the rippled scour depressions noted in a recent si
de-scan sonar survey.