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Groins along the Northern Yucatán Coast

ABSTRACT Tereszkiewicz, P.; McKinney, N., and Meyer-Arendt, K.J., 2018. Groins along the northern Yucatán coast. Coastal erosion is a global issue, putting increasing physical and socioeconomic stresses on coastal communities. While shoreline protection structures are typically seen as potential solutions, negative environmental impacts often result. Groins, a shore-normal type of structure, can successfully impound sediment; however, improper design can lead to downdrift erosion and create hazardous rip currents. Widespread construction of groins on the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula is thought to have caused significant morphologic change to the shoreline, raising questions as to their effectiveness. The objective of this regional survey was to collect geodata on shoreline position and existing shoreline protection structures. Methods included (1) GPS mapping of the shoreline and groin structures along a 13-km stretch of coastline; (2) developing a classification for groin construction, condition, and attachment to the present shoreline; and (3) analyzing surface area difference 5 m immediately updrift and downdrift from each structure. Results showed that (1) since 1994, 127 additional structures were built, perhaps in response to the 128 structures detached from the shoreline that were observed in this study; (2) the 305 surveyed groins, classed into various types, had largely lost their effectiveness; and (3) greater surface area difference precedes an area of chronic erosion referenced by previous researchers. This survey provided a greater understanding of structure usage and impact on the regional scale and showed that coastal management approaches must rely upon more than groins to maintain a sustainable coastal environment.