Majors Bay study area (transects 442 – 636) is located on the southwest shore of Kaua‘i on the west exposure of the Mānā Plain. The study area is bounded to the north by hard shoreline fronting the Pacific Missile Range airstrip (transects 613 – 636) and to the south by Kokole Point. The shoreline is composed of white carbonate sand and vegetated dunes. The study area is exposed to swell from the northwest and west during winter and spring months, swell from the west and southwest in the summer as well as persistent tradewinds. The central portion of the area (transects 522 – 562) experiences large seasonal fluctuations of the shoreline up to approximately 100 ft.
This study area is a section of a continuous sandy beach which runs from Kīkīaola Small Boat Harbor through Kekaha and Majors Bay. Overall, the Majors Bay study area is experiencing accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 1.2 ft/yr. The northern portion of the study area (transects 522 – 636) is experiencing accretion with an average shoreline change rate of 1.3 ft/yr while the southern portion (transects 442 – 520) is accreting with an average shoreline change rate of 1.0 ft/yr. Previous studies* did not analyze the Majors Bay 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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