Beaches

Beaches

Beaches form where wave action erodes shorelines creating an intertidal bench of mobile sediment

Salish Sea References

• Ecology Shoreline Photography Viewer
• The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound provides a peer reviewed version of the wiki
• PRISM Project Search
• Washington Coastal Atlas
• UW River History Project

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Beaches dominate much of Puget Sound’s shoreline. They are characterized by the active transport of sediment by wave action. They can be divided into those associated with coastal bluffs, where the coastline has retreated landward, and those associated with barrier beaches, where sediment has been deposited seaward of the original coastline. Barriers are numerous and include spits, tombolos, cuspate forelands and a variety of other forms. Most Puget Sound beaches (other than the pocket beaches along rocky coasts) exhibit net longshore transport of sediment and the development of discrete littoral drift cells, within which sources and sinks for sediment and a direction of net transport can be defined. (from Shipman 2008)

Beaches are organized into sites based on the extent littoral drift cells. The 2500 miles of Puget Sound shoreline has been divided into 744 distinct littoral cells where the presence of bluff-backed beach indicates the likely presence of sediment input and transport along retreating coastal bluffs (Cereghino et al 2012).

Littoral drift cells are units of beach that include a source of sediment, conveyance of sediment along the shoreline, and a sink for sediment, either at a convergence zone where two drift cells merge, or offshore below the depth of wave action. Shipman 2008 differentiates between beach systems with littoral drift, and pocket beaches where sediment is relatively contained.

Notes

• 2023 - WDFW has published a Beach Strategies Data Hub.
• Shoreline Monitoring Database is standardizing protocols and engaging community in monitoring beaches. They observed that landslides on beaches provide connectivity between uplands and beaches for wildlife.
• A variety of Nearshore Salmon Recovery Planning efforts have considered salmon use of beaches.
• The ShoreZone Geodatabase provides a range of information about beach conditions beyond that provided by the PSNERP geodatabase including biological data.
• George Kaminsky at Washington State Department of Ecology is completing innovative boat-based LIDAR mapping of Salish Sea shorelines as part of a Mapping Bluff and Beach Change effort. Repeat surveys allow for Quantifying Sediment Supply from bluffs. As part of another project, the lidar data are being used to Evaluate Puget Sound Bluffs and Beaches for Restoration.
• The US Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over beach modification, and regulates construction below ordinary high water in Puget Sound. NOAA has recommended regulation from Highest Astronomical Tide (HAT).
• The Shoreline Master Program managed by WDOE requires jurisdictions to develop shoreline management plans that include protection and restoration strategies, and mandates "no net loss of shoreline ecological functions".
• There are limited data to describe natural rates of bluff erosion, and the relationship between sediment supply and beach structure. The Measuring Coastal Bluff Recession Rates Throughout the Puget Sound Region effort by Coastal Geologic Services uses the aerial photograph record to estimate beach recession rate.
• Megan Dethier is noteworthy as a long time regional research scientist that has been studying Effects of bulkhead removal on beaches and their biota and Dethier 1990 remains a seminal work in linking beach structure to biotic communities, and is used in the ShoreZone Geodatabase.
• The ESRP program provides grants for beach protection and restoration.
• Marine Resource Committees provide a unique advisory function on coastal issues to Northern Puget Sound Counties, with support from the Northwest Straits Commission.

Beach Topics

The following pages summarize topics associated with beaches. A topic page encompasses a body of knowledge and referenced several efforts and documents.

Core Beach Topics:

Other Beach topics:

• Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Grade
• Alternative Shoreline Armoring
• Olympia Oyster Restoration
• Eelgrass
• Nearshore Monitoring Strategy
• Nearshore Salmon Recovery Planning
• Beach Forage Fish Spawning
• Beach Shellfish Production
• Beach Sediment Dynamics
• Beach social dynamics
• Beach Food Webs and Biodiversity
• Beach ecosystem assessment
• Managed Retreat
• Beach Nourishment
• Non-natal Nearshore Rearing of Salmon
• Pacific Herring

Beach Sites and Places

The following sites are in beaches:

Beach Restoration Efforts Northwest Maritime Center Dock Olympic Sculpture Park Restoration Shoreline Monitoring Toolbox Kitsap County Regional Shoreline Restoration Project Anna Smith Park Bulkhead Removal Feeder Bluff Outreach and Armor Removal (Island and Jefferson counties) Edgewater Beach Bulkhead Removal Kilisut Restoration

Other Beach Efforts Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project Nearshore Strategies Analysis Jefferson County Eelgrass Protection Clallam County Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Intertidal Biotic Community Monitoring Nisqually river to point defiance nearshore restoration assessment Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model Feeder Bluff Mapping Social Marketing to Reduce Shoreline Armoring Mapping Bluffs and Beaches to Quantify Sediment Supply Impacts of Shoreline Armoring Snohomish Railroad Grade Beach Nourishment Bulkhead Removal Feasibility for Localized Restoration Measuring Coastal Bluff Recession Rates Throughout the Puget Sound Region Beach Strategies for Nearshore Restoration and Protection in Puget Sound Integrated Nearshore Priorities Project Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network Shoreline Monitoring Database Shore Friendly Program Prioritizing Beach Restoration and Protection Maximizing Benefits of Shoreline Armor Removal Mapping Bluffs and Beaches to Quantify Sediment Supply 2021 Evaluating Puget Sound Beach Services for Protection and Restoration Puget Sound Nearshore Habitat Conservation Calculator Puget Sound Coastal Storm Modeling System (PS-CoSMoS)

Beach Documents

The following pages cite documents about beaches:

• Hayes et al 2011 bulltrout use in skagit bay
• Vines et al 2000 creosote and herring spawn
• File:WDNR 2013 piling and creosote removal BMP.pdf
• File:Norris & Fraser 2009 eelgrass near port angeles.pdf
• File:MacDonald et al 2013 elwha nearshore workshop proceedings.pdf
• File:Wait et al 2007 west whidbey nearshore fish use.pdf
• Gelfenbaum et al 2006 nearshore research strategy
• Ruggiero et al 2013 coastal shoreline change
• Quinn et al 2012 surf smelt spawning camano island
• File:Redmond et al 2005 nearshore salmon recovery plan.pdf
• File:Harper & Ward 2001 beach spawning fish and shorezone types.pdf
• File:Reeves et al 2002 shorezone and beach spawning fish presentation.pdf
• File:Krueger et al 2010 sea level rise on forage fish spawning.pdf
• File:Penttila 2001 shading and surf smelt egg survival.pdf
• File:NOSC 2005 intertidal forage fish spawning sites Jefferson Kitsap Mason counties.pdf
• File:Friends of San Juans 2004 forage fish restoration and protection.pdf
• File:Cereghino 2010 beach ecosystem restoration programs.pdf
• File:Gerstel et al 2012 kitsap shoreline sediment source analysis.pdf
• File:Gerstel et al 2012 kitsap sediment supply poster.pdf
• File:Whitman et al 2012 san juan salmon recovery planning.pdf
• File:Friends of the San Juans 2014 armoring impacts and sea level rise.pdf
• File:Whitman & Hawkins 2014 armoring impacts of forage fish.pdf
• File:Guttman 2009 backshore vegetation.pdf
• File:Cereghino 2014 DRAFT Integrated Nearshore Assessment.docx
• File:Cereghino 2014 DRAFT nimble spatial reassessment.pdf
• Finlayson 2005 lowland puget sound topobathymetry
• File:Breems & Goodman 2009 wood waste assessment and remediation.pdf
• File:Kramer et al 2010 shoreline no net loss framework.pdf
• File:Kramer et al 2010 using PSNERP for SMPs.pdf
• File:Rossenkotter et al 2007 nearshore salmon recovery gap analysis.pdf
• File:Dethier 1990 puget sound shoreline classification.pdf
• File:Zu Ermgassen et al 2016 oyster restoration objectives for ecosystem services.pdf
• Dethier et al 2016 impacts of armoring
• Seattle 20xx green shorelines outreach.pdf
• File:Seattle 20xx green shorelines outreach.pdf
• File:Finlayson 2006 geomorphology of puget sound beaches.pdf
• File:Johannessen & MacLennen 2007 beaches and bluffs white paper.pdf
• File:Ehinger et al 2015 DRAFT beach habitat value.pdf
• File:MacLennan et al 2017 north sound feeder bluff armor removal study.pdf
• File:Ehinger et al 2015 nearshore habitat value HEA.pdf
• Weiner et al 2018 mapping bluffs and beaches
• File:Drummond et al 2018 Poster edgewater bulkhead removal and boat lidar.pdf
• File:Henderson et al 2018 Poster boat lidar shoreline inventory.pdf
• File:Weiner et al 2018 Poster high resolution mapping puget sound shoreline.pdf
• File:Lanksbury et al 2017 mussel monitoring survey 2015-2016.pdf
• File:Detheir et al 2020 snohomish railroad grade nourishment.pdf
• File:Fresh et al 2004 guidance restoration protection.pdf
• File:Goetz et al 2004 PSNERP restoration principles.pdf
• Galster & Schwartz 1990 ediz hook case study erosion and mitigation
• File:Pentilla 2007 forage fish marine puget sound.pdf
• File:Fresh 2006 juvenile salmon in nearshore.pdf
• File:Schlenger et al 2011 PSNERP strategic needs assessment.pdf
• File:Beechie et al 2017 salmon habitat status monitoring.pdf
• File:MacLennan et al 2017 beach strategies phase one summary.pdf
• File:Cereghino et al 2022 beach nourishment science sprint.pdf
• File:Johannessen et al 2014 marine shoreline design guidance.pdf
• File:Berry et al 2001 shorezone users manual.pdf
• File:Fresh et al 2006 sinclair inlet salmon use.pdf
• Raymond et al 2022 heat wave and shellfish
• File:Lambert & Chamberlin 2023 beach nourishment science synthesis.pdf
• File:Dethier et al 2020 snohomish beach nourishment monitoring report.pdf
• File:Johannessen & Waggoner 2008 lummi shore road monitoring.pdf
• File:Lambert & Chamberlin 2023 non-natal rearing.pdf
• File:Tuohy et al. 2018 chum non-natal habitat use.pdf
• File:Stick et al 2014 herring stock status 2012.pdf
• File:Gustafson et al 2006 cherry point herring status.pdf
• Carls et al 1999 herring PAH exposure effects
• File:Shipman 2008 puget sound landform.pdf

The following beach documents are uploaded to this wiki:

• WDNR 2013 piling and creosote removal BMP.pdf
• Norris & Fraser 2009 eelgrass near port angeles.pdf
• MacDonald et al 2013 elwha nearshore workshop proceedings.pdf
• Wait et al 2007 west whidbey nearshore fish use.pdf
• Redmond et al 2005 nearshore salmon recovery plan.pdf
• Harper & Ward 2001 beach spawning fish and shorezone types.pdf
• Reeves et al 2002 shorezone and beach spawning fish presentation.pdf
• Krueger et al 2010 sea level rise on forage fish spawning.pdf
• Penttila 2001 shading and surf smelt egg survival.pdf
• NOSC 2005 intertidal forage fish spawning sites Jefferson Kitsap Mason counties.pdf
• Friends of San Juans 2004 forage fish restoration and protection.pdf
• Cereghino 2010 beach ecosystem restoration programs.pdf
• Gerstel et al 2012 kitsap shoreline sediment source analysis.pdf
• Gerstel et al 2012 kitsap sediment supply poster.pdf
• Whitman et al 2012 san juan salmon recovery planning.pdf
• Friends of the San Juans 2014 armoring impacts and sea level rise.pdf
• Whitman & Hawkins 2014 armoring impacts of forage fish.pdf
• Guttman 2009 backshore vegetation.pdf
• Cereghino 2014 DRAFT Integrated Nearshore Assessment.docx
• Cereghino 2014 DRAFT nimble spatial reassessment.pdf
• Breems & Goodman 2009 wood waste assessment and remediation.pdf
• Kramer et al 2010 shoreline no net loss framework.pdf
• Kramer et al 2010 using PSNERP for SMPs.pdf
• Rossenkotter et al 2007 nearshore salmon recovery gap analysis.pdf
• Dethier 1990 puget sound shoreline classification.pdf
• Zu Ermgassen et al 2016 oyster restoration objectives for ecosystem services.pdf
• Seattle 20xx green shorelines outreach.pdf
• Finlayson 2006 geomorphology of puget sound beaches.pdf
• Johannessen & MacLennen 2007 beaches and bluffs white paper.pdf
• Ehinger et al 2015 DRAFT beach habitat value.pdf
• MacLennan et al 2017 north sound feeder bluff armor removal study.pdf
• Ehinger et al 2015 nearshore habitat value HEA.pdf
• Drummond et al 2018 Poster edgewater bulkhead removal and boat lidar.pdf
• Henderson et al 2018 Poster boat lidar shoreline inventory.pdf
• Weiner et al 2018 Poster high resolution mapping puget sound shoreline.pdf
• Lanksbury et al 2017 mussel monitoring survey 2015-2016.pdf
• Detheir et al 2020 snohomish railroad grade nourishment.pdf
• Fresh et al 2004 guidance restoration protection.pdf
• Goetz et al 2004 PSNERP restoration principles.pdf
• Pentilla 2007 forage fish marine puget sound.pdf
• Fresh 2006 juvenile salmon in nearshore.pdf
• Schlenger et al 2011 PSNERP strategic needs assessment.pdf
• Beechie et al 2017 salmon habitat status monitoring.pdf
• MacLennan et al 2017 beach strategies phase one summary.pdf
• Cereghino et al 2022 beach nourishment science sprint.pdf
• Johannessen et al 2014 marine shoreline design guidance.pdf
• Berry et al 2001 shorezone users manual.pdf
• Fresh et al 2006 sinclair inlet salmon use.pdf
• Lambert & Chamberlin 2023 beach nourishment science synthesis.pdf
• Dethier et al 2020 snohomish beach nourishment monitoring report.pdf
• Johannessen & Waggoner 2008 lummi shore road monitoring.pdf
• Lambert & Chamberlin 2023 non-natal rearing.pdf
• Tuohy et al. 2018 chum non-natal habitat use.pdf
• Stick et al 2014 herring stock status 2012.pdf
• Gustafson et al 2006 cherry point herring status.pdf
• Shipman 2008 puget sound landform.pdf

particles of clay, silt, sand, gravel, or cobble, transported by water, are called sediment.

where beach sediment flowing in from two directions accumulates, frequently forming barrier beaches