Study: NJ beaches 30-40 feet narrower after storm

Nov 19, 2012 by Wayne Parry
In a Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 photo, concrete slabs that once supported the boardwalk in Spring Lake N.J. lie exposed after Superstorm Sandy destroyed the town's boardwalk for the second time in little over a year. The town pushed a large pile of sand, in background, to try to replace sand lost during the storm. Superstorm Sandy took a bite out of the Jersey shore, washing away millions of tons of sand and slimming down beaches along the state's 127-mile coastline. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

(AP)—A study has found that Superstorm Sandy washed away an average of 30 to 40 feet from New Jersey beaches, though some suffered five times that amount of sand loss.

The study by Stockton College hasn't been made public, but findings were made available Monday to The Associated Press.

Stewart Farrell of the college's Coastal Research Center says towns that had undertaken manmade beach replenishment projects suffered far less damage than those that hadn't.

New Jersey politicians are already pushing for new rounds of federal funding for beach replenishment. Those requests have produced great opposition in previous years from elected officials in inland areas, who say it's a waste of money.

Explore further: NASA images reveal how Hurricane Sandy changed coastline in New Jersey

4 /5 (1 vote)
add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf

Related Stories

Beach replenishment a tough issue in Florida

Mar 15, 2012

(AP) -- The St. Joseph Peninsula is picture-perfect Florida: 17 miles of sugar sand beach interrupted by a few clusters of homes, each with a million-dollar view of the Gulf of Mexico.

Good news for coast: Nor'easter to weaken

Nov 06, 2012

Northeast coastal residents got some good news Tuesday. Weather experts say that a new storm that threatens to complicate Hurricane Sandy cleanup efforts on Wednesday now looks like it will be weaker than expected.

Recommended for you

Century-old science helps confirm global warming

7 hours ago

(Phys.org) —Ocean measurements taken more than 135 years ago during the scientific expedition of HMS Challenger have provided further confirmation of human-produced global warming over the past century.

Be prepared for weather extremes

9 hours ago

Unsettled weather is an Iowa mainstay, and so is Inside's annual reminder of the university's severe weather safety and preparedness guidelines—for storms, extreme heat, flooding and more.

US House sends message on Keystone pipeline

9 hours ago

US lawmakers agreed to a bill that would speed construction of a Canada-US oil pipeline and circumvent the need for President Barack Obama's approval for the $5 billion project.

User comments : 0

More news stories

A hidden population of exotic neutron stars

(Phys.org) —Magnetars – the dense remains of dead stars that erupt sporadically with bursts of high-energy radiation - are some of the most extreme objects known in the Universe. A major campaign using ...

Solar Kettle allows for boiling water off the grid

(Phys.org) —A company called Contemporary Energy has unveiled a new device it calls the Solar Kettle. It looks very much like a normal coffee thermos, but has flaps on one side that open to allow for collecting ...

Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7N9 avian influenza virus

Chinese and U.S. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian ...

Scientists develop cheaper, more efficient fuel cells

(Phys.org) —Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, researchers have discovered a way to create cheaper fuel cells by dividing normally expensive platinum metal into nanoparticles (or even single ...