{"id":194090,"date":"2026-09-24T00:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=194090"},"modified":"2026-09-24T00:44:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T04:44:53","slug":"more-than-60-years-of-beach-survey-data-reveal-extent-of-shoreline-erosion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/more-than-60-years-of-beach-survey-data-reveal-extent-of-shoreline-erosion\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 60 years of beach survey data reveal extent of shoreline erosion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New website developed by URI researchers illustrates impact of nor\u2019easters and hurricanes over decades<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Rhode IslaOver Decades, a new public website developed by researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut State University, has made one of the world\u2019s oldest and continuous beach survey efforts available online. In this image, student Jake Harrington uses real-time kinematic global positioning system for a beach survey. (URI Photos\/J.P. Walsh)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

September 23, 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The University of Rhode Island has made one of the world\u2019s oldest and continuous beach survey efforts available online via Rhode Island Beach Dynamics Over Decades<\/a>, a new public website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1962, about four dozen students and several scientists from the URI\u00a0Graduate School of Oceanography<\/a> (GSO), the URI Environmental Data Center<\/a>, the URI Department of Geosciences<\/a>, and Eastern Connecticut State University<\/a> have monitored the shorelines of eight Rhode Island beaches, collecting measurements and images that reveal short- and long-term changes and the impact of severe storms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This website took a year and a half to develop. The project was funded through a grant from the Rhode Island Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have this website published, not only because we put in a lot of hard work to make it\u2014but also because students and staff have been braving the elements and other challenges for decades,\u201d said J.P. Walsh<\/a>, URI professor of oceanography, marine geology, and geophysics. \u201cIt\u2019s great to have this information compiled for all to see and use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FURI GSO students Emily Hall (left) and Dasan McElroy get ready for another beach survey in December 2022.\u00a0Hall and McElroy earned their master\u2019s degrees in oceanography in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Hall is now a coastal geologist for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Walsh spearheaded the website with Mary Klimasewiski<\/a>, a marine research associate in GSO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to bring decades of beach survey data together in a publicly accessible resource, making it easier for managers, researchers, and the public to visualize and understand how our coastline is changing over time,\u201d said Klimasewiski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klimasewiski earned a master\u2019s degree in data science from URI in 2025. She applied that knowledge when handling decades of information for the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy data science studies shaped how I approached this project, from organizing and integrating a large, complex dataset to developing clear visualizations that make the data easier to explore, understand, and use,\u201d said Klimasewiski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the supervisor of the GSO beach survey since 2020, Walsh is proud that more than 60 years of scientific data has been preserved and is now available to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Survey measurements have been made at nine sites along the southern shoreline of Rhode Island over the past few decades, ranging from Misquamicut Beach to South Kingstown Town Beach.\u00a0Today, eight beaches are regularly surveyed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to be a part of something so lasting and impactful,\u201d said Walsh.\u00a0\u201cMany students talk about their memories of measuring beaches. The results they have generated can serve as a permanent record of the dynamism and disappearance of the Ocean State coastline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a beach profile?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A beach profile is created when a scientist measures a series of elevation points across a beach, from the waterline to the landward vegetation. These surveyed points are plotted on a graph to show the shape of a beach at a specific point in time. By repeating these measurements over time, changes can be seen and calculated. Also, the beach volume may be determined by quantifying beach cross-shore area for and alongshore distance.<\/p>\n\n\n