SAND RESOURCES AND GEOLOGICAL CHARACTER 

 OF LONG ISLAND SOUND 



by 

 S. Jeffress Williams 



I. INTRODUCTION 



1 . Background. 



Ocean beaches and dunes constitute a vital buffer zone between the sea and 

 populated coastal areas, and also provide much-needed recreation areas for the 

 public. The construction, improvement, and maintenance of beaches through the 

 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 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, depletion of previously used nearby sources, and added cost of trans- 

 porting 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 fill source, beach 

 sediment seeks equilibrium with its environment. However, it is possible to 

 estimate the amount of material that will be lost through sorting in the surf 

 zone by a quantitative comparison of the placed material with the native 

 material and therefore minimize losses through selection of the most suitable 

 fill material (Krumbein and James, 1965; James, 1974; Hobson, 1977). 



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 

 began with a survey off the New Jersey coast. Subsequent surveys have 

 included the Inner Continental Shelf off Florida, Texas, New England, New 

 York, Maryland, North Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, California, and Lakes 

 Michigan and Erie. Recognizing a broader application to the CERC mission of 

 information collected in conduct of the research, the program was referred to 

 as the Inner Continental Shelf Sediment and Structure (ICONS) program. The 

 ICONS program was directed not only toward the mapping of sand deposits 

 suitable for beach restoration but also the delineation of shelf structural 

 characteristics, analysis of shelf history and sediment sources (Duane, et 

 al., 1972; Pilkey and Field, 1972; Field, et al., 1979), determination of 

 regional engineering properties of shelf sediments (Williams and Duane, 1972), 

 and effects of ocean dumping (Williams, 1979). 



