To help with our efforts to restore and preserve the region’s shoreline, SANDAG created a Regional Shoreline Monitoring Program to measure the changes in beach width over time, document the benefits of sand replenishment projects, and improve the design and effectiveness of beach fills. This comprehensive approach to monitoring the shoreline has provided valuable data for the design of the 2001 and 2012 Regional Beach Sand Replenishment and helped guide the selection of candidate beach sites for replenishment efforts.
Since 2008, a related SANDAG project, Shoreline Photo Monitoring, has taken monthly photos along the San Diego coastline and beaches to create a visual log of the shifting coastline. While beaches change seasonally, generally being at their widest in the summer and narrowest in winter, when viewed on a year-by-year basis, these photos help identify erosion “hotspots” along the San Diego coastline. Tidal information is derived from the NOAA Tides and Currents website.
