1917 and 1967 or 1974. (Period of record depends upon the particular portion 

 of shore in question.) Erosion along the eastern shore occurs intermittently 

 and is of less magnitude than in most other areas in the region. 



7. Morgan Peninsula, Bay Shore (Pensacola quadrangle): Morgan Point is 

 a large baymouth bar extending westward from the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. 

 This peninsula separates the bay water from the gulf water and insures the 

 maintenance of the estuarine environment in the bay itself. Erosion, 

 measurable along much of the northern shore, probably occurs along almost the 

 entire length of the shore from the mouth of Bon Secour River to Fort Morgan. 

 Measurements of the change in shoreline configuration between 1917 and 1974 

 show that as much as 52 m (170 ft) linearly of erosion may have occurred from 

 the mouth of Bon Secour River to Catlins Bayou during that time. 



Examination of bathymetric data from 1929 to 1973 reveals that St. 

 Andrews Bay, Navy Cove, and the bay north of Fort Morgan are becoming 

 progressively shallower. The southwest cove of St. Andrews Bay has also 

 become a shoal area, probably reflecting deposition of material eroded from 

 the shoreline west of Little Point Clear, as well as material from the spoil 

 banks northwest of the peninsula along the Mobile Ship Channel. 



8. Gulf Shore Region (Pensacola quadrangle): The gulf shore region of 

 coastal Alabama extends from Mobile Point to the Florida state line and is 

 about 50 km (32 mi) in length. The shoreline of white sandy beaches is 

 backed by low dunes. 



In 1917, there were several tidal inlets that opened into Little Lagoon 

 and Shelby Lakes. The inlet connecting Little Lagoon to the gulf was 1.1 km 

 (0.7 mi) west of Gulf Shores beach and was approximately 80 m (262 ft) wide. 

 A second inlet was approximately 1.7 km (1.1 mi) west of Romar Beach, as 

 located on the Foley, Alabama, U.S. Geological Survey 15 min topographic map. 

 This inlet connected the easternmost lagoon on the Shelby Lakes with the gulf 

 and was approximately 20 m (66 ft) wide. By 1941, both of these inlets had 

 closed and a second inlet to Little Lagoon had opened. This inlet, 3.5 km 

 (2.2 mi) west of the inlet of 1917, was about 60 m (197 ft) wide. 

 High-altitude infrared photographs of this area taken in 1974 showed no 

 passes open into either Little Lagoon or Shelby Lakes, although some water 

 possibly flows through the western inlet of Little Lagoon at the highest high 

 tide. 



Between 1917 and 1974, the gulf shore eroded by an average of 0.4 m/yr 

 (1.4 ft/yr) between Fort Morgan and Alabama Point. This net erosion along 

 the gulf shore occurred in the areas indicated on Figure 8. 



9. Perdido Bay Region (Pensacola quadrangle): Perdido Bay itself has 

 shown 1 i ttl e measurable change along the Alabama shoreline, according to 

 presently (1976) available information. Areas of small amounts of erosion 

 probably do exist within Perdido Bay, but are too small to be discerned by 

 methods used in the Hardin et al . (1976) study. Significant changes in the 

 configuration of Perdido Bay have occurred in the area of Perdido Pass. 



97 



