Assessing offshore sand resources for North Carolina: Phase 2
Grant
Overview
abstract
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Hurricane Sandy caused massive surf and high water levels that battered North Carolina, in particular the northern Outer Banks. Significant erosion, ocean overwash and localized flooding led to costly damage and left portions of this economically important coast in a compromised condition for future storms. Sand resources are critical for communities to recover from past impacts and be resilient for future events by maintaining dunes and beaches. Several communities are considering nourishment but estimated borrow areas are limited as are data to further assess sand resources. The proposed project will complete an analysis of recently collected data as part of the Atlantic Sand Assessment Project (ASAP) and integrate this and other newly acquired new or recently obtained older data into the existing NC inventory for sand resource evaluation, with attention focused on the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Based on these data, a needs assessment for future research will be conducted. This collaboration of academic (East Carolina University and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute), state management (NC Division of Coastal Management) and private (GeoDynamics LLC) entities will be a two-year project, involving data analysis, collation, and reevaluation of sand resource information. The team will work closely with Marine Minerals Program (MMP) personnel and local, state and other sources to incorporate all available data and determine the highest priorities for future research. Data products will be consistent with Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) standards and be provided to BOEM for dissemination using federal web systems. This work will be invaluable to storm-impacted communities and can also inform efforts to develop offshore renewable ocean energy, a current research emphasis and goal of the State.
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