MANAGING THE WAVES OF CHANGE: HOW BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT'S NATIONAL OFFSHORE SAND INVENTORY SUPPORTS COASTAL RESILIENCE

Sediment used for coastal resilience projects is finite and demand for those resources is increasing. To support coastal protection, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Marine Minerals Program created the National Offshore Sand Inventory (NOSI) initiative. NOSI is composed of four major research areas: (1) Supply and Demand, (2) Resource Evaluation, (3) Risk Mitigation, and (4) Borrow Area Optimization. These research themes are progressed for each major coastal compartment and are prioritized based on the need established in Supply and Demand studies. Resource Evaluation is the cornerstone of NOSI and incorporates geologic framework and sediment budget studies. The data and products of these studies are compiled and visualized in a on our GIS platform, Marine Minerals Information System (MMIS), and available to our stakeholders and researchers. Without ready access to data and a regional and comprehensive understanding of the processes at work on the continental shelf, cost-effective exploration and efficient long-term management of those resources are both challenging. BOEM sees NOSI a critical component to understanding sediment cycling in the nearshore and offshore environments, especially with respect to anthropogenic modifications for coastal resilience.