Which coastal management practice involves replenishing sand to restore a beach after erosion?

• A. Rip Currents
• B. Barrier Islands
• C. Beach Replenishment
• D. Bulkheads

Answer: (C)

Beach nourishment, or replenishment, is the coastal management practice that adds sand to a beach to restore it after erosion. By importing sediment from offshore borrow sites or other sources and depositing it along the shoreline, the beach becomes wider and better able to absorb wave energy, which helps protect backshore infrastructure and maintain recreational space. This approach is a sediment-management method rather than a structure; it directly replaces material lost to erosion and is typically repeated over time as the sand moves with tides and storms.

Rip currents are strong offshore flows that pose safety risks and are not a method for restoring beaches. Barrier islands are natural protective landforms rather than a replenishment technique. Bulkheads are hard stabilization structures like seawalls that block erosion but do not add sand back to the beach and can affect sediment transport elsewhere.