EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF DUNE BUILDING WITH SAND FENCES

Abstract

In 1957 the State of North Carolina, in cooperation with the Beach Erosion Board and the Wilmington District of the Corps of Engineers undertook an experimental dune building study on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The experimental study consists of the construction of various types and arrangements of sand fences to determine the fence type and arrangement most effective in building a dune by trapping windblown sand. Four miles of experimental fencing were constructed in 1960. During the following year, four sets of profiles were made to determine the sand accumulation of the fences and a rather intermittent wind record was made in the area. The performance of the various fence types and arrangements has been compared and some conclusions have been reached concerning the best fence type and arrangement.