The Mōkōlea Point study area (transects 0 – 43) is located on the northeast coastline of Kaua‘i. The shoreline is composed of calcareous sand beach interrupted by basalt headlands. The coastline is exposed to tradewinds and seasonal swell. The beaches of the area are relatively small and highly variable throughout the year.
Overall, the area is accreting with an average shoreline change rate of 0.4 ft/yr. The area lends itself to division into two portions. The northern beach (transects 0 – 13) is located at the base of Crater Hill. This section of the study area is eroding with an average shoreline change rate of – 0.2 ft/yr. Kahili Beach (transects 14 – 43) is located within Kilauea Bay between Mōkōlea Point and Keilua Point. This portion of the study area has experienced accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.7 ft/yr. Kahili Beach is broken into two sections by a low, rocky point. The northern section (transects 14 – 27) has experienced accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 1.3 ft/yr. The southern section (transects 28 – 43) is experiencing accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.2 ft/yr. Previous studies* did not analyze the Mōkōlea Point study area shoreline.
*Makai Ocean Engineering and Sea Engineering, 1991 Aerial Photograph Analysis of Coastal Erosion on the Islands of Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii. State of Hawaii Office of Coastal Zone Management Program.
Last updated: July 2021
Directions: To view a larger image of the photo, click on the image. To download the georeferenced TIFF version of the photo, click on the name
Partial coverage:
