Coastal Services Center

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Professional Dialog

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The most casual observer will have noticed that the subject of beach nourishment can be politically and emotionally charged. Even the scientific and technical experts who play central roles in the formation and implementation of beach nourishment policy are sharply divided about its value and effectiveness.

For state and local government officials and other resource managers who have just begun to consider the need for or appropriateness of a specific beach nourishment project, it is important to have a feel for the landscape that they'll encounter in moving toward a decision.

To help illustrate divergence of professional opinions on the subject, we asked Dr. Orrin Pilkey and Andy Coburn of Duke University's Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and Howard Marlowe, president of the Washington, D.C. lobbying firm Marlowe and Company, to participate in a point counterpoint discussion entitled, "Beach Nourishment: Is it Worth the Cost?"

This discussion consists of a total of eight papers, four from each of the two participants. In the first paper, each participant was asked to answer the question, "Beach Nourishment: Is it Worth the Cost?," providing supportive arguments and evidence. In their response (Paper 1), participants were asked to consider (1) the overall effectiveness of beach nourishment; (2) the economic rationality of beach nourishment, evaluated from both the national and local perspectives and considering the full range of environmental and social costs; and (3) other social considerations, such as the nature and distribution of benefits and costs.

Each participant was then asked to provide a critical review of the opposing viewpoint (Paper 2), a response to the criticism of his original paper (Paper 3), and a summary statement that mapped out areas of agreement and disagreement, the perceived strengths and weaknesses of each position, and proposed directions for future research (Paper 4).

Beach Nourishment	Is It Worth the Cost? by Orrin Pilkey and Andy Coburn Critique by Howard Marlowe	Perspective	Critique	Response	Conclusion
	It's a Good Investment by Howard Marlowe Critique by Orrin Pilkey and Andy Coburn	Perspective	Critique	Response	Conclusion