Hard-hit beachfront homes in Mantoloking
Professor Peek shows his student research assistants (left to right) Frank Oliver, Sarah Flaherty, and Paige Appleton
Student research assistant Nelson Araujo analyzes beachgrass roots on the computer
how to use a portable photosynthesis system to measure the concentration of carbon dioxide in beachgrass leaves
Beachgrass Research Has Significant Implications for Jersey Shore Dune Restoration B Y M ary B eth Z eman
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n the greenhouse adjacent to the University’s Science Complex, willowy strands of Ammophila breviligulata, or American beachgrass, sprout from dozens of pots neatly lined up in rows. The long narrow leaves, some two or three feet tall, look fragile to the casual observer. But in reality, this plant is a critical component in stabilizing sand dunes up and down the East Coast. When Hurricane Sandy blew through New Jersey last fall, the state’s shoreline suffered unprecedented damage. The twelve-to-fourteen-foot storm surge, combined with pounding waves and hurricane force winds, caused significant beach and dune erosion. According to the Coastal Research Center in Port Republic, New Jersey, the state’s coastal beaches lost an estimated thirty to forty feet, with some communities losing more than one hundred feet. Such beach erosion has a huge potential impact on the state’s $30 billion tourism industry, much of which is centered on New Jersey’s 127 miles of sandy beaches. As the ongoing coastal damage assessments have been conducted, one fact has become clear: “Communities protected with natural or engineered dunes fared much better,” says Michael Peek, an associate professor of biology. For example, he notes, the communities of Avalon and Stone Harbor replenished dunes a decade before the storm hit and, consequently, had less damage, while the engineered dunes of the Borough of Harvey Cedars provided protection for the community’s homes. In contrast, towns without those dune systems, such as Holgate on Long Beach Island, or Point Pleasant Beach, Lavalette, and Seaside Heights further north, suffered extensive damage. Peek has conducted research on the effects of beach grasses in shoreline erosion and revitalization since 2005 when he launched a research project to