Beaches

Beaches are fragile, dynamic environments that respond to wind, currents, waves, tides, changing seasons, and manmade shoreline changes. While resilient beaches, especially barrier beach systems, have coastal dunes and beach grass to soften the impacts, climate-driven sea level rise and storm surge accelerate erosion and threaten these precious natural resources.

Erosion also threatens wildlife habitat and damages properties and infrastructure. Data shows we need to plan now for how to protect our beaches and safely accommodate change.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

It can be difficult to distinguish between natural shifts and climate-driven changes, but what’s clear is that we’re experiencing a dramatic loss of shoreline at some of our most beloved beaches. The eastern tip of Trustees-owned Crane Beach has narrowed by 5 feet per year since the 1950s [CIT. 5] for a total loss of 112 acres—the equivalent of 84 football fields—and it has lost about 2,000 feet in length since 1995 [CIT. 4]. Future impacts include:

• Weakened Storm Protection Intensifying storms will pose greater risks to beaches and private and public properties—about half of which are protected by some sort of armoring on the North Shore. In Essex County, more than $100 billion of coastal real estate is at risk, according to a 2015 MA Coastal Erosion Commission report [CIT. 4].

• Increased Pollution When it floods, stormwater runoff triggers increased sewage overflows. For example, Swampscott’s waterfront along Eastern Avenue led the state in 2019 with 39 potentially unsafe beach days, according to news reports.

• Loss of Wildlife Habitat Beach and dune erosion poses risks to fish, shellfish, and migratory birds such as the federally threatened piping plovers.

• Reduced Sediment The northern section of Plum Island, for instance, has suffered nearly 300 feet of shoreline loss [CIT. 5] due to storm damage and erosion. Most recently, Newburyport requested sand deployment assistance after a severe storm.

• Limited Public Access Flooding is likely to make public beach access by car, bike, and foot even more challenging, hurting communities that rely on summer visitors and tourism. Crane Beach alone accounts for more than 350,000 visitors annually.

CURRENT COASTAL STRATEGIES

Beach Nourishment/Dune Reconstruction which generally refers to building up a beach or dune by replacing sand lost to longshore drift or erosion with sand from another source. Sand dunes protect communities during storms, while vegetation stabilizes and builds dunes and provides wildlife habitat. Activities in recent years include:

• Salisbury Beach was replenished with 10,000 cubic yards of sand to fortify storm-damaged dunes [CIT. 4]. New snow fencing was installed to trap snow and sand and prevent erosion.

• Newbury used native vegetation methods and installed sand fencing to nourish and stabilize eroding dunes.

• As part of its repairs to Long Beach, Rockport added sand to strengthen the buffer and protect homes.

Coastal Wave and Sediment Studies to assess how climate-driven change could impact our most at-risk beaches. The Trustees, Town of Essex, and Boston University, for instance, are conducting a study exploring the future integrity of Crane Beach and Essex Bay/Estuary.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Beach nourishment and dune reconstruction efforts can be effective short- to medium-term measures to address erosion on beaches. These measures can require significant investments in dredged sand—which can be costly, and sometimes controversial. Sand, which drifts over time, is considered a "soft" solution and is often more compatible with a natural system.

Beach managers and coastal landowners may be faced with the question of values, time horizon, and return on investment for choosing when to intervene and when to accept loss as erosion accelerates in places. Based on our latest findings, we propose:

Expanding Dune and Beach Restoration to protect public access, habitat, and property from erosion and flood risk. While not a universal solution, it can have a real short- to medium-term impact in some cases.

Transitioning Existing Development by employing strategies such as expanded buyout options, rolling easements (combined with policies to prevent coastal armoring) to ease relocation, and incentives for residents and developers to develop adaptive, floodproof designs.

increasing Resilient Public Access It’s time to take a renewed look at how we will ensure future beach access. Crane Beach boardwalks, for instance, adjust in length and height to reflect changing dune conditions. The Trustees also is working with Ipswich to raise Argilla Road to reduce flooding impacts and preserve public access for the next 50 years.

involving the Public as Coastal Ambassadors in Beach Projects such as beach grass planting or the citizen-science profiling effort at Crane Beach. Volunteers collect monthly data on beach conditions and educate visitors about changes in the beach shoreline. The Trustees, with the support of CZM, has also developed a series of videos, podcasts, and whitepapers that include local stakeholder perspectives and preferences on adaptation measures to protect publicly accessible shorelines and coastal beaches from flooding and erosion.