Backbarrier Contributions to a Littoral Sand Budget, Virginia Eastern Shore, USA

Abstract

When analyzing the availability of sand for a retrograding barrier island system, both the beach sand and the backbarrier sediments should be included. The latter may be located below the barrier beachsands, exposed in the surf zone, and reworked. Subsequently,"new" sand is made available which may be added to a sand budget. As the barrier island translates landward the amount and size of the sand in backbarrier sediments may change. This causes an increase or decrease in the sand budget and subsequent respective changes in barrier island position.