State of the beaches in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (2017)

摘要

A rapid response assessment of the state of the beaches in Puerto Rico (PR) was conducted after the occurrence of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Geoindicators were used as a guide to assess the impact of the hurricane on beach response. Field campaigns and high-resolution imagery analysis were used to identify erosional and accretional geo-morphological features along the coastline after the hurricane. Findings indicated that most beaches suffered a loss of beach elevation. In addition, beach width changes were highly variable along the coastline of PR. Major losses in beach width were identified in beaches located in the west-northwest, north central, and southeast municipalities of the main island. An increase in erosion was observed mainly in beaches with previous erosion history and/or with high levels of human intervention along the coast. Minor beach changes and accretion were identified in beaches with natural barriers, such as coral reefs and mangroves, mainly located in the northeast and southwest of the island. Beach progradation and retreat may affect the enhancement and/or reduction of the beach resilience capacity of these geographic areas. This new geomorphic state of the beaches in PR will be important to define the buffer capacity of beaches when facing future extreme meteorological and oceanographic events.