Cutler, E.M.; Albert, M.R., and White, K.D., 2019. A low-cost shoreline dynamic simulation model for proposed beach nourishment and dune construction: Introducing a new feasibility analysis tool. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(4), 907–919. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Beach nourishment and dune construction are common coastal risk-management strategies for shoreline erosion in the United States. Federal involvement with such projects relies on cost–benefit analyses, which in turn rely on life-cycle models of shoreline processes, such as the Army Corps of Engineers' Beach-fx event-driven physical and economic coastal model. However, use of these models can be computationally and data intensive. Costs associated with conducting a feasibility analysis for beach nourishment and dune construction may leave a community with few resources to explore other risk-management options. This paper, therefore, presents a first-order, screening-level, low-cost dynamic model that delivers results approximately comparable with those from life-cycle models. Applying the model to three locations in Florida shows that simulated nourishment intervals are within 5 years of those predicted by Beach-fx, leading to a similar number of nourishments over a project life span. A discussion on how one could apply the model to other areas is also included. It is intended that this model could serve as a first-pass screening tool for communities considering beach nourishment and dune construction before they decide to invest in the more thorough, but costly and data-intensive, life-cycle model simulations.