BEACH CHANGES AT HOLDEN BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA, 19 70-74 



Martin C. Miller 

 I. INTRODUCTION 



1. Background . 



This report is one of a series which analyzes and interprets beach 

 profile data collected along several east coast beaches during the peri- 

 od 1962-75. Beach profile data from 21 profile lines on the oceanside 

 of Holden Beach, North Carolina (Fig. 1) were collected from November 

 1970 to December 1974 by the U.S. Army Engineer District, Wilmington, 

 as part of the U.S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center's (CERC) Beach 

 Evaluation Program (BEP) (formerly known as the Pilot Program for Improv- 

 ing Coastal Storm Warnings or the Storm Warning Program). The BEP was 

 initiated after the Great East Coast Storm of March 1962 to observe vari- 

 ations on tjrpical beaches in response to waves and tides of specific 

 intensity and duration. Twelve beaches in the region hardest hit by the 

 storm (Massachusetts to North Carolina) are under study in this program. 



This report presents an analysis and interpretation of data collected 

 at Holden Beach, documents the locations of the profile lines, and evalu- 

 ates the relationship of changes in the beach elevation, sand volume, and 

 shoreline position to changes in waves, water level, sediment size and 

 supply, storm events, and coastal structures. The analysis includes a 

 review of previous studies of the area to determine the relevant long- 

 term trends in waves, winds, tides, and inlet processes. 



Variability in the shape of the beach profile was analyzed using the 

 empirical eigenfunction technique as well as by other standard methods 

 performed by CERC. Changes were evaluated on three time scales: (a) 

 short-term changes caused- by individual storms or events occurring between 

 surveys; (b) seasonal changes observed over the typical 3-month season; 

 and (c) long-term changes that occur on time scales of 1-year or more. 



2. Previous Work . 



There have been few detailed studies which provide insight into pro- 

 cesses along the barrier islands of southern North Carolina; none has con- 

 centrated on Holden Beach. The most comprehensive study was developed for 

 Yaupon and Long Beaches to the immediate east of Holden Beach by the U.S. 

 Army Engineer District, Wilmington (1973). The study also provides infor- 

 mation on processes active at Lockwoods Folly Inlet, as well as along the 

 eastern end of Holden Beach, and summarizes wave, wind, and other general 

 climate data. Langf elder, Stafford, and Amein (19 68) and Wahls (19 73) used 

 aerial photography to determine the erosion rates of North Carolina's 

 barrier islands. The results of the former study were reviewed in U.S. 

 Army Engineer District, Wilmington (19 73) and will be referred to later in 

 this report. Langfelder, et al . (1974) and -Baker (1977) used successive 

 aerial photos to compare changes occurring in the coastal inlets at either 

 end of Holden Beach from 19 38 to 1976. Machemehl, Chambers, and Bird (1977) 

 combined aerial photo analysis and information from coastal survey maps to 



