New Hampshire Volunteer Beach Profile Monitoring Program

Forces like storms, ocean currents, and changes in sea level work together to add and remove sand from the beach. Beach profiling is a simple way to track these changes over time. By measuring the contour, or profile, of a beach at regular monthly intervals, we can start to observe long-term patterns of sand erosion and accretion. The New Hampshire beach profiling program consists of volunteer teams that measure the profile of a site once per month as well as after major storms. We currently have thirteen sites being monitored. NH beach profiling is a project of the NH Sea Grant Coastal Research Volunteers program.