| Coastal Change of Grand Strand Barrier Systems: A Rising Tide Project for Grades 9 and 10
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Classroom Activities:
| Current Research The Grand Strand beaches of the Myrtle Beach area are a popular destination for tourists. To better manage this important resource, a five-year study is being undertaken to better understand the coastal system. The United States Geological Survey and South Carolina Sea Grant Coastal Erosion Program is a multi-year study examining how coasts and associated sand move. The program is studying the historical movement of the shorelines, mapping the location of sand resources (source), determining the location of sand deposition (sink), and identifying the layers of the subsurface geology. As a result of this study, Gayes et al. (2003) have developed a conceptual sediment budget for the region identifying sediment sources and sediment sinks. The study found that erosion of the shoreline provides ~100,000 m 3/y and sands from the inner shelf may provide ~50,000 to 390,000 m 3/y of sediment. Potential sediment sinks include the inlets and spits (in particular the North Island spit). As part of the program, the large North Island spit was studied. The thickness of sand underlying the area was determined using ground penetrating radar (sends a radar wave into the ground and detects reflections from the different layers to determine the shape and thickness of the underlying layers) and coring techniques. It also identified the age of the spit by dating the age of sand grains. You will examine the results of this study in Activity 2.
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