Now open the file in in your spreadsheet software. Four profiles were done at the exact same location one month apart - in June, July, August, and September. Graph the June and September profiles on the same graph and see how the beach changed. For a more thorough exercise, follow directions for plotting all four profiles on the same graph in Excel. You will be able to see more accurate profiles as well as the gradual changes which took place in July and August.
Coastal erosion is a serious problem on many coasts.
Perhaps you remember the houses on the cliffs in Pacifica, California which were lost to erosion during the 1997-98 El Nino winter storms. On the west-central Florida coast, as in many highly developed coastal regions, millions of dollars are spent on beach nourishment projects every 4 years. This project was widely publicized and hotly debated. For more resources, visit the Bridge's Geology page and our Legislation, Policy, and Resource Management page. For other activities, look through the Sea Grant Educational Resources and Lesson Plans on erosion.