GEOMORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENTS 



OF THE 



CHESAPEAKE BAY ENTRANCE 



by 



Edward P. Meisburger 



Section I. INTRODUCTION 



1. Background 



Ocean beaches and dunes constitute a vital buffer zone between the 

 sea and coastal areas and provide at the same time much needed recrea- 

 tion areas for the public. The construction, improvement, and main- 

 tenance of beaches through the artificial placement (nourishment) of 

 sand on the shore is one of several protection methods. This technique 

 has gained prominence in coastal engineering largely as a result of the 

 successful program initiated at Santa Barbara, California, in 1938 

 (Hall, 1952). 



Where the specified plan of improvement involves shore restoration 

 and periodic nourishment, large volumes of sand fill may be involved. 

 In recent years it has become increasingly difficult to obtain suitable 

 sand from lagoons or inland sources in sufficient quantities and at an 

 economical cost for beach fill purposes. This is due to increased land 

 value, diminution and depletion of previously used nearby sources, and 

 added cost of transporting sand from areas increasingly remote. Materi- 

 al composing the bottom and subbottom of estuaries, lagoons, and bays, 

 is often too fine-grained and not suitable for long-term protection. 

 While the loss of some fines is inevitable as the new beach sediment 

 seeks equilibrium with its environment, it is possible to estimate the 

 stability of the beach fill, and keep the loss to a minimum through se- 

 lection of the most suitable fill material (Krumbein and James, 1965). 



The problem of locating a suitable and economical sand supply led 

 the Corps of Engineers to a search for new unexploited deposits of sand. 

 The search focused offshore with the intent to explore and inventory 

 deposits suitable for future beach fill requirements, and subsequently 

 to develop and refine techniques for transferring offshore sand to the 

 beach. The exploration program is conducted through the U. S. Army 

 Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) . An initial phase in develop- 

 ing techniques for transferring offshore sand to the beach is described 

 by Mauriello (1967) . 



Formerly called the sand inventory program, it was begun in 1964 

 with a survey off the New Jersey Coast. Subsequent surveys included 

 the inshore waters off New England, New York, Florida, Maryland, and 

 parts of Delaware and Virginia. Recognizing the broader application of 



