Changes to Monterey Bay beaches from the end of the 1982-83 El Niño through the 1997-98 El Niño

Marine Geology
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Abstract

The shoreline of Monterey Bay, CA, USA demarcates the landward extent of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Along the length of that shoreline, nine beaches were profiled 34 times between 1983 and 1998. The resulting data set provides an understanding of processes that affect beach volume, width, and shape. Monterey Bay, which is open to high-energy waves generated in the Pacific Ocean, comprises a range of beach environments that respond in a dramatic way to major storms such as the anomalously large El Nin??os in 1982-83 and 1997-98. This study relates the profile characteristics of the beaches to storminess, shoreline location, and geomorphic setting. Because the large El Nin??os occurred at the start and end of the study, the surveys cover both periods of nearly constant beach size and periods of extreme erosion, and the data show both the extent of erosion and accretion and the nature of the transition between the two periods.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Changes to Monterey Bay beaches from the end of the 1982-83 El Niño through the 1997-98 El Niño
Series title Marine Geology
DOI 10.1016/S0025-3227(01)00270-5
Volume 181
Issue 1-3
Year Published 2002
Language English
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Marine Geology
First page 249
Last page 263
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