The City of South Padre Island, Texas and PARTRAC, a UK-based marine and coastal survey consultancy group, have formalized a working partnership. Through grant awards they will combine knowledge, resources and technical capabilities to improve understanding of coastal zone processes affecting beach morphology and sediment transport at South Padre Island.

South Padre Island is a coastal barrier island on the southern Texas Gulf Coast and an important vacationing and tourist destination. Its beaches provide critical nesting grounds for the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle. In common with much of the US Gulf Coast shoreline, South Padre Island beaches are suffering from erosion and loss of beach material at significant rates every year. Beach nourishment using sediment from nearby dredging projects supplied by the US Army Corps of Engineers - Galveston District - has helped restore and maintain the South Padre Island shoreline; however, the requirement to nourish the beaches is an ongoing process.

Dr. Kevin Black, PARTRAC Co-President and Technical Director commented, “We are very pleased to be working alongside the City of South Padre Island. We anticipate that utilization of our unique dual signature particle tracking technology and other novel in-house technologies will provide South Padre Island with an updated picture of coastal zone processes that will enable better informed decision making and facilitate a cost-effective approach to future beach and shoreline management.”

For further information, visit www.myspi.org and partrac.com.