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1. Numerical Modeling of Beach Morphological Change: A Case Study of Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii

   https://doi.org/10.1142/S2529807020500025  

   Hardy, Ian; Huang, Zhenhua; Smith, David; Fletcher, Charles H. (March 2020, International Journal of Ocean and Coastal Engineering)

   null (Ed.)

   This case study reports results from field observations and numerical simulations of waves and morphological changes along a portion of Kaanapali Beach on West Maui, Hawaii, which is protected by a hard coral reef and experiences shoreline changes from season to season. The SWAN spectral wave model shows reasonable agreement with ADCP observations of wave-heights for the winter months. Simulated beach profile change over one-month time frame was able to reasonably capture the trend of beach face migration (accretion or erosion); the modeled shoreline also shows satisfactory agreement with beach survey data. This case study suggests that Delft3D is able to capture key features of sediment transport along a narrow beach protected by a fringing reef. 

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2. Growth of beach-adapted plants in recycled glass sand compared to natural beach sand

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07479-3  

   Richardson, Paul; Goings, Peyton; Markel, Bek; Dixon, Jacob; Ahmad, Shehbaz; Albert, Julie; Michaeloff, Leah; Clay, Keith (May 2025, Plant and Soil)

   Abstract AimsThe goal of this study was to explore the suitability of recycled glass sand for the growth of beach-adapted plant species given the potential environmental benefits of utilizing glass sand for beach and dune restoration in the face of dwindling natural sand resources. MethodsWe grew three species native to US Gulf of Mexico beaches (Ipomoea imperati(Vahl) Griseb.,I. pes-caprae(L.) R.Br., andUniola paniculata(L.)) in three greenhouse experiments in glass sand, beach sand, or mixtures. First, we investigated nutrient and microbial effects by growing each species in pure glass sand, beach sand, and 80%/20% mixtures of glass sand/beach sand. Second, we comparedU. paniculatagrowth in glass sand mixed with 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or 0% beach sand. These experiments included fertilizer and microbial sterilization treatments. Third, we investigated soil permeability effects by comparing growth of all species using different grain sizes of glass sand. ResultsOverall, plants produced significantly more biomass in beach sand than in glass sand, and the effect was more pronounced with the fertilizer treatment. There were significant effects of substrate mixtures and interactions with fertilizer treatments onUniolabiomass. Further, when glass sand grain sizes were manipulated, plant biomass was equal or higher in the coarsest glass sand compared to beach sand. ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that beach-adapted plants can grow in glass sand and suggest that recycled glass sand is a potential resource for ecological restoration with incorporation of soil amendments such as fertilizer and utilization of selected grain sizes. 

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3. Hedonic property prices and coastal beach width

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13197  

   Landry, Craig E.; Turner, Dylan; Allen, Tom (September 2022, Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy)
4. Valuing beach ecosystems in an age of retreat

   King, PG (October 2018, Shore and beach)
5. Microstructural differences between naturally-deposited and laboratory beach sands

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-021-01169-4  

   Ferrick, Amy; Wright, Vanshan; Manga, Michael; Sitar, Nicholas (February 2022, Granular Matter)

   Abstract The orientation of, and contacts between, grains of sand reflect the processes that deposit the sands. Grain orientation and contact geometry also influence mechanical properties. Quantifying and understanding sand microstructure thus provide an opportunity to understand depositional processes better and connect microstructure and macroscopic properties. Using x-ray computed microtomography, we compare the microstructure of naturally-deposited beach sands and laboratory sands created by air pluviation in which samples are formed by raining sand grains into a container. We find that naturally-deposited sands have a narrower distribution of coordination number (i.e., the number of grains in contact) and a broader distribution of grain orientations than pluviated sands. The naturally-deposited sand grains orient inclined to the horizontal, and the pluviated sand grains orient horizontally. We explain the microstructural differences between the two different depositional methods by flowing water at beaches that re-positions and reorients grains initially deposited in unstable grain configurations. 

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