Beach Survey Methods

Map of the GSO Beach Survey study sites.

Survey measurements are taken along the south coast of Rhode Island at seven distinct locations (shown above), ranging from Misquamicut State Beach in the West to Moonstone Beach in the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in the East.

Surveying transit measure the distance to and elevation line on the stadia rod (person standing in distance). Hand signals are helpful for communication between the measurement team.

All of the survey locations are located on sandy barrier beaches, bordered by the Block Island Sound to the south and coastal lagoons, referred to as salt ponds in Rhode Island, to the north. Surveys are generally conducted at low tide in order to maximize the amount of measurable beach.

Beach elevation measurements are taken across the width of  the beach from the dune to the waterline.  

Example of survey measurements (along dashed lines) show a dune scarp at Greenhill Beach on February 28, 2022.

Measurements have historically been taken with a transit instrument and stadia rod with respect to a GPS-referenced point, but the survey will be transferring to a real-time kinemati

c (RTK) GPS system soon. Collected data is then processed to measure how beach erosion and sediment transport dynamics change through time.

 

Example survey transects at Greenhiill Beach from February 2, 2022 (black) and February 28, 2022 (red). During the Rhode Island winter, strong storms lead to increased beach erosion. The sharp drop-offs seen at the 20 m mark are erosional dune scarps, a typical feature of winter beach profiles.