Sunny Isles Shoreline Stabilization Study, Florida
Coastal Systems conducted an analysis of coastal processes at Sunny Isles Beach to provide recommendations for future beach management. Long term and storm-induced beach erosion along the 2.5 miles of City of Sunny Isles Beach requires frequent and costly maintenance with beach nourishment. Beach compatible sand sources in Florida are diminishing, and long term stabilization of hot spot areas and reduction in beach nourishment event frequency overall may be beneficial in maintaining adequate beach width for shore protection and for recreational use.
Coastal Systems conducted a comprehensive coastal engineering study for Sunny Isles to evaluate coastal processes along the shoreline of Sunny Isles. Detailed hydrographic surveys of two existing submerged breakwaters were conducted along with beach profiling to provide data for input into the numerical modeling software. Offshore wave statistics were prepared utilizing wave data from 1980-1999 to obtain annual conditions that influence sediment transport.
Wave modeling was conducted by utilizing the Danish Hydraulics Institute (DHI) MIKE 21 Spectral Wave (SW) model to simulate offshore waves propagating onshore. This model was coupled with the MIKE-21 Hydrodynamic (HD) model to determine the littoral current generated by breaking waves. The resulting sediment transport was evaluated to identify erosion trends along the shoreline. The numerical modeling results indicated that the north segment is characterized with the highest degree of erosion, while the south section was mildly erosional, and the middle section was relatively stable.
Two hot spots were identified in the northern section, and wave focusing results were evaluated. Beach management recommendations were prepared based on the coastal engineering results, and coastal structure concepts were prepared for shore stabilization. Additional beach management recommendations were provided as longer term solutions to reduce erosion rates, mitigate local hot spots, and to extend the life of beach nourishment projects.
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