Figure 52. Peat exposure at profile line 5, 22 December 1977. 



Figures 2 and 3 show the location of peat exposures on 8 March 1962. In 

 some instances the exposures were more than 100 feet wide. Field observations 

 of the organic outcrops indicated thickness varied from 1 to 3 feet. 



10. Inlet Changes. 



Corson and Townsend Inlets experienced significant mean changes in shore- 

 line, channel position and orientation, and ebb tidal bar location between 

 1949 and 1974. An analysis of aerial photos was the only available means of 

 detailing those changes. 



Hydraulic information on Corson and Townsend Inlets is very limited; e.g., 

 only one set of hydraulic measurements has been reported and that was in 1937 

 for Townsend Inlet (Jarrett, 1976). At that time the diurnal tidal prism was 

 5.6 X 10^ cubic feet and the inlet hydraulic radius was 18.8 feet. However, 

 inlet conditions have changed considerably since then. 



The 20 sets of aerial photos taken at low tide were analyzed for changes 

 in inlet characteristics. The following are the results: 



a. Shoreline Changes . Changes in shoreline shape and position during the 

 period 1949 to 1974 are illustrated in Figures 53 and 54. Th^ dashline repre- 

 sents the 1949 shoreline position. 



b. Inlet Width. As shown in Figure 55, the minimum inlet widths varied 

 considerably in what appear to be long-terra trends. From 1949 to 1974 the width 

 of Townsend Inlet decreased almost 30 percent (from 900 to 500 feet) ; the width 

 of Corson Inlet expanded, increasing almost six times the size in 1949 (400 to 

 2,300 feet). 



65 



