relatively shallow surveying out to only 2 feet below MSL. Therefore, the 

 amount of sand transported offshore or alongshore to the southwest cannot be 

 determined. To better understand the complex and dynamic sediment movement in 

 this area, and thereby arrive at a functional solution, the entire island 

 should be studied as a complete system from Absecon Inlet to Great Egg Harbor 

 Inlet. This would enable a more reliable description of the processes 

 involved along this coastline. More information should also be obtained 

 relating to the processes of the inlets at both ends of the island to enhance 

 the understanding of the impact these inlets have on Absecon Island. 



Prestorm and poststorm surveys played an important role in understanding 

 some of the storm-related processses taking place along this coast. Addi- 

 tional surveys of this type would significantly increase the awareness of just 

 how much sand is moved and where during storms, which would then enable the 

 area to plan accordingly before the storm season. Again, this points out the 

 need to survey farther offshore to locate where some of the sand is being 

 transported. 



The implications of the beach-fill project in March 1979 indicate the need 

 for careful planning of the time, location, and grain size of the fill mate- 

 rial when undertaking such a project. The grain size of the fill material 

 taken from under the Boardwalk for this project was much smaller than the 

 median grain size of the beach material in the vicinity of the nourishment 

 project. This factor, in conjunction with the time of year (March being a 

 highly susceptible time for storm waves), resulted in most of the fill being 

 washed away almost immediately on placement, according to a bulldozer operator 

 on the site. This beach-fill project, then, appeared to be much less success- 

 ful than the two fills conducted in 1963 and 1970. 



VI. SUMMARY 



Each of the seven profile lines at Atlantic City, spaced from a minimum of 

 467 meters to a maximum of 1.62 kilometers apart, was surveyed a minimum of 

 118 times, generally from the seaward edge of the Boardwalk to wading depth. 

 Frequency of surveys ranged from weekly to quarterly (Figs. 20 and 21). Dur- 

 ing the study there were 17 reasonably well-documented storms with prestorm 

 and poststorm surveys (Table 5). 



The study area extends 5 kilometers southwest from the Absecon Inlet jetty 

 and is comprised of 0.27-millimeter median grain-size quartz sand. The fore- 

 shore slope ranges from 0.039 to 0.066 with an average of 0.047 over the seven 

 profile lines. The berm width, measured from the Boardwalk, extends between 5 

 meters at profile line 2 and 180 meters at profile line 1 with an overall 

 average of 80 meters. The average berra elevation above MSL is 2.2 meters with 

 a range beween 1.3 and 3.0 meters. 



Winds are generally out of the southwest quadrant with mean speeds ranging 

 from 20 to 45 kilometers per hour (Figs. 9, 10, and 11). The mean significant 

 wave height is 0.81 meter with a mean wave period of 8.18 seconds consisting 

 predominantly of plunging waves. The area also has a mean tidal range of 1.2 

 meters. 



Among the largest natural changes measured between surveys at a single 

 profile line were a volume loss of 51.39 cubic meters per meter during the 



52 



