Rhode Island Beach data reveals decades of erosion
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The University of Rhode Island published a new website displaying over 60 years of beach survey data collected from eight Rhode Island beaches.
Since 1962, students and scientists from URI and Eastern Connecticut State University have measured these shorelines, documenting both short-term fluctuations and long-term erosion patterns. J.P. Walsh, a URI professor, and Mary Klimasewiski, a marine research associate, led the year-and-a-half project to compile and share this information.
The website visualizes changes to the coastline, including the impact of severe storms like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which caused significant beach and dune changes despite not directly hitting Rhode Island. Researchers initially used tripod-mounted survey levels and stadia rods to measure beach elevation, but transitioned to real-time kinematic global positioning systems around 2023 for faster and more accurate data collection. Walsh hopes the publicly accessible data will help communities understand and plan for the natural reshaping of the coastline.
The project involved contributions from numerous individuals and organizations, including the URI Environmental Data Center and the Coastal Resources Management Council, as well as assistance from student researchers who participated in the decades-long survey effort.
