Effect of a small southern California lagoon entrance on adjacent beaches

This paper considers the effects of natural and artificial openings of a typical, small, southern California coastal estuarine lagoon on the adjacent barrier beach. A detailed history of beach profiles and lagoon entrance transects before and after flood-induced and artificial openings of San Dieguito Lagoon in Del Mar, California, has been analyzed. The results suggest that there is no statistically significant erosional effect on the adjacent beach when the lagoon inlet is artificially opened to tidal flow.