extend the history of inlet change to 1859. They also developed a model of 

 tidal flow and water level change for Lockwoods Folly Inlet. 



This report concentrates on the analysis and interpretation of the 

 Holden Beach data collected during the BEP study and relates the beach 

 changes to the environmental factors of waves, winds, and water levels 

 that occurred during that period. Aspects of these previous studies which 

 relate to beach processes during the period are used to provide additional 

 insights. 



II. THE STUDY AREA 



1. Geography and Geomorphology . 



a. Geomorphic Setting . The shoreline of Holden Beach, a barrier island 

 located on the Atlantic Ocean along the southern coast of North Carolina 

 about 30 kilometers west of Cape Fear (Fig. 1), is oriented almost exactly 

 east-west. Separated from the mainland by salt marsh and the Atlantic 

 Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) , the island is terminated at the east and west 

 ends by Lockwoods Folly and Shallotte Inlets, respectively, each associated 

 with a river of the same name. Sediment contribution from these slowly flow- 

 ing coastal streams is negligible. Both are unstructured, active tidal inlets 

 with migrating channels. The main, natural tidal channel for each inlet 

 curves east and flows in a southeasterly direction adjacent to the shoreline 

 east of each inlet. Lockwoods Folly Inlet and the AIWW in its general 

 vicinity are dredged by the Corps of Engineers, and an artificially developed 

 entrance channel has been cut in a north-south direction through the 

 Lockwoods Folly sandbar. Sand from the maintenance dredging operations is 

 beach sand, transported into the inlet by littoral currents and tides and 

 is disposed of on the east end of Holden Beach, near profile lines 1 and 2, 

 to supplement the existing beach. 



Holden Beach is one of a chain of 17 barrier islands along the 237- 

 kilometer coastline of the Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lookout and the 

 southern North Carolina border. The island, characterized as having a low 

 mesotidal shoreline (Hayes, 1979), has a mean tidal range of 1.35 meters. 

 There is only one shore protection structure on the 13.2-kilometer-long 

 beach — a short (about 24 meters) wooden bulkhead near profile line 4. Compar- 

 ison of profile line measurements taken nearest the fishing pier east of 

 profile line 10 with others along the beach indicates that the pilings and 

 open truss works of the pier do not restrict littoral transport. 



A massive dune ridge at the eastern end of the island is heavily vege- 

 tated and extends west about one-fourth of the island's length (Cleary and 

 Hosier, 1979) (Fig. 2); the central reach is narrower and backed by a single, 

 low dune ridge. Finger canals have been dredged on the north side of the 

 central reach to extend waterfront property, with access to the AIWW, for 

 housing construction. The dredged material was used as fill before this 

 construction. Ihe eastern end of the island has experienced washovers and 

 changes in inlet formation during severe storms. West of the finger canals, 

 the final length of the island broadens and is composed of massive vegetated 

 dunes and single or multiple dune ridges. Those adjacent to the inlets are 

 probably associated with inlet migration, while those more inland are shaped 



