BEACH SLOPE MONITORING

For the last 10 years Friends of Sapelo have been monitoring of the slope of Nanny Goat beach. This quarterly activity provides valuable information on a national level of the effects of shifting sands and shoreline.  

 Unfortunately, thanks to Hurricane Irma the beachfront change dramatically. The sand dunes washed out to sea creating a whole new perspective from the high tide line to the water.  Unfortunately, along with the dunes, the slope monitoring points were also lost. 

 On October 4, FOS members Ben and Claire Cannon and Cecil Clonz joined Dr. C.J. Jackson, Jr. Professor at Georgia Southern in the Department of Geology and Geography on the beach to re-establish the reference points. Using information from the past collection and a real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning satellite navigation technique, Dr. Jackson was able to derive the original point and reestablish the markers for future collections. 

 It is noted that this barrier island has been moving southwesterly direction on an average of 1 1/2 – 2 feet per year.  Watch the calendar for future beach slope monitoring events.