FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
trending coastline of Long Island, New York change have been described in terms of sand (Bokuniewicz, 1981; Zimmerman and volumne changes (Ziegler and Tuttle, 1961; Bokuniewicz, 1987; Bokuniewicz and Dolan 1965; Eliot and Clarke, 1982; Aubrey Schubel, 1987), no seasonal variability can and others, 1976; Davis, 1976; DeWall and be detected (H. J. Bokuniewicz, J. R. Allen, Richter, 1977; DeWall 1977; Thorn and personal communications). Such lack of Bowman, 1980; Everts and others, 1980; seasonal variability may be symptomatic of Bokuniewicz, 1981; Miller, 1983; sub-seasonal storm wave groups combined Zimmerman and Bokuniewicz, 1987; with an almost imperceptible climatic change Samsuddin and Suchindan, 1987), by (J. R. Allen, personal communications), contour elevation changes (Shepard and possibly exacerbated by changes in oceanic LaFond, 1940; Ziegler and Tuttle, 1961; storm front azimuths relative to shoreline Gorsline, 1966; Urban and Galvin, 1969; azimuths (Dolan and others, 1988). Nordstrom and Inman, 1975; Aubrey, 1979; Similarly, the east-west trending shoreline of Felder and Fisher, 1980; Clarke and Eliot, the northwestern panhandle coast of Florida, 1983; Berrigan, 1985; Brampton and Beven, while having annual net longshore transport 1989), and in terms of horeontal shoreie to the west, appears to be characterized by shidfts or beech width changes (Darling, daily to weekly rather than seasonal 1964; Johnson, 1971; DeWall and Richter, reversals in longshore current direction 1977; DeWall, 1977; Aguilar-Tunan and (Balsillie, 1975). It appears, therefore, that Komar, 1978; Everts and others, 1980; east-west trending shorelines pose Clarke and Eliot, 1983; Miller, 1983; considerations deserving further attention. Garrow, 1984; Berrigan and Johnson, 1985; However, for much of the Earth's open, Patterson, 1988; Kadib and Ryan, 1989). ocean-fronting shoreline seasonal changes
are clear, which constitutes the subject of Potential legal ramifications of this paper, seasonal shoreline changes as they relate to the jurisdictional shoreline boundary position
SEASONAL VARIABILITY have been addressed by Johnson (1971), Hull (1978), O'Brien (1982), and Collins and
Classically, seasonal variability is McGrath (1989). While there are other associated with California beaches where seasonal shoreline change applications theirgeometric character changes noticeably (discussed in the section on Application of from "summer" to "winter" (e.g., Shepard Results), the motivation for this work centers and LaFond, 1940; Shepard, 1950; Bascom, about derivation of a least equivocal 1951, 1980; Trask, 1956, 1959; Trask and methodology for identifying probable real Johnson, 1955; Trask and Snow, 1961; shifts in historical long-term shoreline Johnson, 1971; Nordstrom and Inman, change. 1975; Aubrey, 1979; O'Brien, 1982;
Thompson, 1987; Patterson, 1988; Collins In addition to wave height and wave and McGrath, 1989). A considerable steepness, wave direction and beach number of such studies have also been sediment characteristics can influence the conducted along the U. S. east coast (e.g., degree of seasonal beach change. Wave Darling, 1964; Dolan, 1965; Urban and direction is particularly influential for pocket Galvin, 1969; DeWall and Richter, 1977; beaches found along the U. S. west coast. DeWall, 1977; Everts and others, 1980; Along some beaches (e.g., Oceanside Beach Bokuniewicz, 1981; Miller, 1983; just north of Cape Meares, Oregon) a sandy Zimmerman and Bokuniewicz, 1987). "summer" beach is removed during the "winter" season exposing a cobble beach.
Geometric characteristics of seasonal In such cases, "summer" to "winter" grain
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