62 STETSON 



The equipment for the field work has proved entirely satisfactory. The jeep with over- 

 sized tires can tow the trailer with the dory to any necessary location, sometimes over dune 

 country. The dory has proved entirely practical for taking soundings, and rowing has the ad- 

 vantage over a power boat for sounding on a range because it can be better controlled. It can 

 be launched from the beach except when the bars are breaking heavily which would preclude 

 sounding even from a DUKW. Sounding with a pole and a hand lead is probably more satisfac- 

 tory in these waters than a portable fathometer would be. In smooth water the fathometer would 

 be superior but such is rarely the case on the outer Cape. With a rough or lumpy sea it would 

 be very difficult to sort out wave heights on the fathometer tape from bottom irregularities. 



The sites for the present traverses were chosen because they represent what might be 

 called "simple" or average sections of the shoreline. Serial observations of the regimen at 

 such places are necessary for a basic understanding of the full beach cycle before more com- 

 plicated cases are considered. The continuation of this study in addition to the present trav- 

 erses will include the following areas where the beach is prograding rapidly and shoals and 

 spits are forming. From Wood End to Long Point, the section of beach which encloses Province- 

 town Harbor, growth is taking place by the extension of large, steepsided beach ridges, overlap- 

 ping at their distal ends. At Race Point Light the beach is prograding by the addition of ridges 

 and swales in a seaward direction. Nauset Inlet is an illustration of two complex spits which 

 are attempting to grow across an inlet where there are strong tidal currents. The amount of 

 sand supplied by beach drifting and longshore currents is large. The result is a complicated 

 series of recurving spits with their attendant shoals which are constantly shifting. The situa- 

 tion provides a good example of a balance between erosion, transportation, and deposition. 

 Beaches constitute one of the most mobile of landforms and one which may change radically in 

 a matter of a few hours. They are never static. 



SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION 



Matters relating to grain size and sorting were discussed. It was suggested that along a 

 stretch of coast there would be marked changes in size of materials. To determine this, 

 samples are being taken both off shore and on the emerged portions each time the beach pro- 

 files are surveyed. The samples are being studied to discover any correlation between slope 

 and grain size and shape. In general it is recognized that the flatter the beach, the smaller the 

 grain size. 



Figure 9. Field equipment. 



