Monterey Bay: The Magazine of CSU Monterey Bay Fall/Winter 2013, Vol. VI, No. II | Page 5

The crew working on beach erosion issues includes (from left) Alex Snyder, CSUMB
graduate student; Jimmy Chambers, CSU Fresno graduate student; Jeff Papendick,
CSU Fresno undergraduate researcher; Mathieu Richard, assistant professor,
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, CSU Fresno; and Rikk Kvitek,
CSUMB professor of Science & Environmental Policy and director of the Seafloor
Mapping Laboratory.

CSU faculty,
students helping
city of Monterey
find answers to
beach erosion

Provided

by Liz MacDonald

T

he beaches and coastlines of Monterey Bay change every year as winter
storms bring high surf that erodes the land. This can mean trouble for
coastal properties such as the Del Monte Beach townhomes, perched
just above the beach berm.
One way to manage erosion and protect property is called beach nourishment. It involves depositing sand in front of the threatened structures on an
ongoing basis.
Faculty and students from CSUMB’s Division of Science & Environmental
Policy are using a specialized beach cart to measure the effectiveness of this approach. The cart scans the beach with a sophisticated laser array called LiDAR.
Researchers use this data set to create precise computer models of the beach and
sea cliffs. By taking repeated scans over a series of months, they’ll be able to
determine how much erosion is occurring, and how well the beach nourishment
program is working.
Traditionally these types of surveys are conducted from either a single location or by airplane.
“The beach cart is unique, and suited to the Del Monte Beach project, because we are able to survey more area than would be feasible from fixed locations
while avoiding the cost and preparation time involved in an aerial survey,” said
Alex Snyder, a graduate student in the Applied Marine & Watershed Science
program who is spearheading the effort.
Snyder is working under the supervision of professors Rikk Kvitek and Doug
Smith and with the help of several undergraduates.
“Sound environmental decisions must be based upon defensible scientific
research,” Smith said. The Del Monte Beach scanning project provides the
evidence the property owners and city of Monterey need to determine the best
course of action for protecting the townhomes.

the m ag a zine of CSU Monter e y Bay

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