GEOMORPHOLOGY, SHALLOW STRUCTURE, AND SEDIMENTS OF THE 

 FLORIDA INNER CONTINENTAL SHELF, CAPE CANAVERAL TO GEORGIA 



by 

 Edward P. Meisburger and Michael E. Field 



I. INTRODUCTION 

 1. Background. 



Ocean beaclies and dunes constitute a vital buffer zone between the sea and populated 

 coastal areas, and also provide mucli needed recreation areas for the public. The 

 construction, improvement, and maintenance of beaches through the artificial placement 

 (nourisimicat) 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 a specified plan of improvement involves shore restoration and periodic 

 nourishment, large volumes of sandfill may be needed. In recent years it has become 

 increasingly difficult to obtain suitable sand from lagoonal or inland sources in sufficient 

 quantities and at an economical cost for beach fill purposes. This difficulty is due in part to 

 increased land value, diminution and depletion of previously used nearby sources, and added 

 cost of transporting sand from areas increasingly remote. Material composing the bottom 

 and subbottom of estuaries, lagoons, and bays, is often too fine-grained and unsuitable for 

 long-term protection. Regardless of the source of replacement material, the loss of some 

 fines is inevitable as replacement beach sediment seeks equilibrium with its environment. 

 However, it is possible to estimate amount of material that will be lost through sorting in 

 the surf zone by quantitative comparison witli the native material and therefore minimize 

 losses through selection of the most suitable fill material (Krumbein and James, 1965; 

 James, 1974). 



The problem of locating suitable sand supplies 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. This exploration program 

 is conducted through the U.S. Army, Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC). 



In 1964, a program was initiated to survey offshore regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, gulf, 

 and Great Lakes coastal areas to delineate the character of sand deposits. Formerly called 

 the Sand Inventory Program, it was begun with a survey off the New Jersey coast. 

 Subsequent surveys have included the inner Continental Shelf off Florida, New England, 

 New York, Maryland, and parts of North Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, and California. 

 Recognizing a broader application to the CERC mission of information collected in conduct 

 of the research, the program is now referred to as the Inner Continental Shelf Sediment and 

 Structure Program (ICONS). The ICONS program is directed not only towards mapping of 

 sand deposits suitable for beach restoration but al^o delineation of shelf structural 



