MEASURING EROSION RATES ALONG LITTLE CUMBERLAND ISLAND GEORGIA TO ANALYZE LONGEVITY OF DEVELOPED STRUCTURES

Barrier Islands are commonly dynamic sand that forms parallel to the coast. They are highly susceptible to erosion, overwash, and breaching due to the constant change in sediment. Little Cumberland Island is a barrier island off Georgia’s southeastern coast that is owned and operated by a homeowner’s association. The island is less urbanized than other barrier islands. It lacks paved roads and has minimal infrastructure. As a result, residents face the issue of roads becoming impassible and eroding during high tides and extreme precipitation events. To help residents plan their next steps, we estimated future erosion rates along the southeastern shoreline. We surveyed the position of the coastline during ten dates from 1993 to 2019 in order to calculate trends in historic erosion rates and predict future erosion of up to the year 2025. The survey was conducted using shore-perpendicular transects on Google Earth Pro. We estimate that the northern section of our study shoreline will continue to erode at a rate of eight meters per year through the year 2025. This will further impede homeowner’s ability to navigate the road and access their homes. Our results demonstrate the potential consequences that sea- level rise and coastal erosion will present to other barrier islands in the years to come. Our next steps consist of surveying the roads that pose a concern for flooding. This will provide residents with the information needed to make adjustments to the island.