The West Poʻipū study area (transects 22 – 64) is located on the south coast of Kauaʻi. The area is bounded by Ka Lae Kīki to the west and Lae o Kamilo to the east. The shoreline is composed of basalt rock headlands, sand perched on rocky shoreline, and sand beaches.
Overall, the area has experienced slight accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.1 ft/yr. The area lends itself to division into three portions. The western portion (transects 22 – 33) is experiencing accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.1 ft/yr. The central portion (transects 34 – 51) within Hōʻai Bay has experienced accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.1 ft/yr. The beach by Punahoa Cape (transects 52 – 64) has experienced erosion with an average shoreline change rate of -0.1 ft/yr. Previous studies* did not analyze the West Poʻipū 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
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