2.4.3. Comparison of Shoreline Definitions 



Figure 2-8 is a schematic depicting several common definitions of the shoreline, including 

 the MHW intersection and the HWL. If different data sets are analyzed without conversion or 

 reference to a common datum, then an apparent shift in shoreline position will occur, as 

 discussed by Kraus (1997). Analysis of shoreline positions differently defined could lead to 

 either apparent advance or recession of the shoreline. Because the MHWL is defined by a 

 reference (vertical) datum, and the HWL is determined by interpretation of a topographic feature 

 (such as the berm crest or foot of the dune), the methods are not directly comparable. The two 

 shoreline positions must be related through additional analysis that can only provide an estimate 

 of the distances between them. 



Two coastal geomorphologic configurations are shown in Figure 2-8, one where a berm crest 

 can be clearly discerned, and the other in which a berm is not apparent, requiring identification of 

 the HWL at the foot of the dune. This figure also schematically shows the instantaneous position 

 of the water or shoreline created by wave- and wind-induced runup, which is the periodic up and 

 down motion of the water at the shore associated with waves and wind. Runup creates the berm 

 by pushing sand up onto the landward edge of the foreshore, a region that is periodically 

 inundated with rise and fall of the tide and runup. Berms are created during calm wave 

 conditions and are removed (eroded) by storm waves if the water level rises sufficiently during 

 the storm. The berm crest represents a relatively stable feature that characterizes the boundary 

 between land and sea — the shoreline. 



2.4.4. Florida Coastal Jurisdictional Boundaries 



In 1972, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP: formerly the 

 Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which merged with the Department of Environmental 

 Regulation (DER) in 1993 to become the FDEP), began to establish a system of profile survey 

 monuments along all sandy beaches in the State of Florida. The monuments are benchmarks that 

 allow consistent surveys to be made for the study and regulation of the sandy beaches of the 

 State. Most of these monuments are denoted by the symbol "R" followed by a number. On the 

 Atlantic coast, the R-monuments start at R-l at the northern boundary of each county and 

 continue consecutively (R-l, R-2, R-3, etc.) to the southern boundary within the same county. 



In 1994, the US ACE established a monument in Brevard County called R-0, which is located 

 directly south of the south jetty at Canaveral Harbor. This monument aided the design and 

 monitoring of the 1994 sand-bypassing project. The approximate locations of the FDEP 

 R-monuments in Brevard County are shown in Figure 1-2. The location of R-0 and the other 

 monitoring survey monuments for the sand-bypassing project are shown in Appendix F. 



2_-|4 Chapter 2 Background 



