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By Scott Douglass
US soldiers from Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division wade ashore onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach from a Coast Guard operated LCVP landing craft during the D-Day invasion June 6, 1944 in Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France (Alamy Photo)
The decade following World War II was a transformative era for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and the nation’s approach to coastal science and management. As the United States emerged from the war, the lessons learned and the technical advances made during the conflict were rapidly applied to civilian coastal challenges, setting the stage for modern coastal engineering.
“Beach Intelligence” and the Postwar Technical Leap
In 1946, ASBPA published “Beach Intelligence,” a landmark paper by Clara Edmunds in Shore & Beach. Drawing on formerly secret “beach landing reports” prepared for D-Day and other amphibious operations, Edmunds—herself a University of Chicago PhD chemist who was serving the war effort on the staff of the U.S. Army’s Beach Erosion Board—helped usher in a new era of technical rigor and data-driven analysis. Many advances in coastal engineering, previously classified, were published in 1946, providing a technical “shot-in-the-arm” that led directly to the creation of modern coastal engineering.
“Beach Intelligence” a 1946 Shore and Beach paper by Clara Edmunds summarized formerly secret “beach landing reports” prepared for D-Day and other amphibious landings. Mrs. Edmunds was a PhD chemist from the University of Chicago who joined the US Army’s Beach Erosion Board staff to conduct this research.
Expanding the Federal Role
The postwar years saw a deepening federal commitment to shoreline protection. Public Law 727, 79th Congress, approved August 13, 1946, authorized federal financial participation—up to one-third of the cost—in protecting property owned by states, municipalities, or other political subdivisions. This marked a significant expansion of federal support, making large-scale projects more feasible for local governments.
In 1955, Congress enacted Public Law 71, 84th Congress, directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate the Atlantic and Gulf shores of the United States with a view to determining measures that could be undertaken to reduce damage from hurricanes. This forward-looking mandate reflected a growing awareness of the risks posed by coastal storms and the need for proactive, science-based solutions.
Scientific Advances and New Frontiers
The late 1940s and early 1950s were a period of remarkable scientific progress. Presentations and papers at ASBPA meetings explored topics such as the stability of beaches, artificial sand bypassing at inlets, legal issues with beach sand preservation, and the development of wave forecasting models by Sverdrup and Munk—the first generation of what became the SMB wave model. Researchers documented the relationship between beach slope and sand grain size, nearshore breaking wave characteristics, surf zone currents, and the value of beach tourism. Laboratory wave basins were used to design beaches, and new federal laws addressed tidelands issues and the pumping of beach sand to widen beaches.
Lasting Impact
The decade also saw the measurement of relative sea level rise rates, the use of laboratory wave basins, and the design of coastal structures such as groins, jetties, sea walls, and submerged breakwaters. The value of beaches for tourism and recreation was increasingly recognized, and the groundwork was laid for future advances in coastal management and policy.
The years 1946 to 1955 were a time of innovation, partnership, and progress. Through federal legislation, technical advances, and the dedication of its members, ASBPA helped shape the future of America’s coasts—ensuring that the lessons of the past would inform the challenges of tomorrow.