Reply to Smith, A.W.S., 1999, Journal of Coastal Research, 15(4), 1178, Discussion of: Maa, J.P.-Y. and Hobbs, C.H., III, 1998, Physical Impact of Waves on Adjacent Coasts Resulting from Dredging at Sandbridge Shoal, Virginia. Journal of Coastal Research, 14(2), 525- 536

• Published in: Journal of coastal research Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 496 - 497
• Main Authors: Hobbs, Carl H., Jerome P. -Y. Maa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF) 01-01-2000
• Subjects: Dredging; Marine; Oceanography; Reply; Shoals; Waves
• ISSN: 0749-0208; 1551-5036

We thank SMITH (1999) for his kind words about our recent paper (MAA and HOBBS, 1998) and agree that the several generic questions he poses need be addressed when one considers the possible dredging of an offshore feature. Indeed, in a series of projects of which our work is a small part, the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Minerals Management Service is taking a comprehensive view of the potential consequences of offshore sand mining. However we chose not to address the broad questions for the following reasons. We intentionally limited the scope of the paper to the topic stated in the title so as to present both a discrete story and a relatively short paper. Expanding the paper to include the genesis and present dynamics of the shoal would have necessitated a much longer exposition that would have diluted the major thrust of the paper. The local, slight decrease in storm-wave energy reaching the shore following dredging and the lack of alteration of non-storm waves (i.e. it is necessary to model only storm waves, not the complete wave climate, in the analysis of potential changes) are the major points, not the story of Sandbridge Shoal itself; though we acknowledge that wave-sea floor interaction is common to both.