Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Temporal Shift Of Sea Turtle Nest Sites In An Eroding Barrier Island Beach, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret Lamont, Ray Carthy

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Shoreline changes affect functionality of a sandy beach as a wildlife habitat and coastal erosion is among the primary causes of the changes. We examined temporal shifts in locations where loggerheads placed nests in relation to coastal erosion along a barrier island beach in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We first confirmed consistency in long-term (1855–2001), short-term (1976–2001), and more recent (2002–2012) shoreline change rates in two adjacent beach sections, one historically eroding (west beach) and the other accreting (east beach). The mean annual shoreline change rate in the two sections was significantly different in all time periods. The recent …