Posted on February 2, 2022
BRACKLEY BEACH, P.E.I. — Coastal erosion is accelerating at a remarkable rate in the Prince Edward Island National Park, says a Parks Canada official.
Two of the winter storms that hit the province in January destroyed about two metres (six-and-a-half feet) of the dune system in places.
Garrett Mombourquette, acting conservation resources manager with Parks Canada in P.E.I., said Jan. 28 that the winter storms in the province, Jan. 8 and Jan. 15, did significant damage.
“From just those two winter storms we’ve experienced roughly the same amount of erosion that we would over the course of an annual year,” Mombourquette said in an interview with SaltWire Network. More damage was expected from the blizzard and storm surge that hit P.E.I. Jan. 29.
“What we’ve seen over the past few winters in P.E.I. is that, without the near-shore ice that has been historically present at this time of year, our shorelines are incredibly vulnerable to the extreme wave action that occurs in these major winter storms.”
“From just those two winter storms we’ve experienced roughly the same amount of erosion that we would over the course of an annual year.”
– Garrett Mombourquette, Parks Canada
Between 2010 and 2020, Parks Canada in P.E.I. has measured an annual rate of erosion of 1.18 metres. The first two storms in January exceeded that number.
Adam Fenech with UPEI’s School of Climate Change and Adaptation said P.E.I. is particularly susceptible to erosion simply because it’s sand and sandstone.
“It seems to be increasing because of our rising sea levels and our storm activity,” Fenech said. “And, it seems to be that we’re missing the sea ice … the seasonality of the ice has changed a lot.
UPEI’s climate lab has been measuring erosion at 150 locations around the province for the past six years. Depending on the location, the annual average erosion fluctuates between 28 and 47 centimetres.
“Some years are worse … it usually depends on the storm activity,” Fenech said.
Fenech points to one study that looked at erosion in P.E.I. between 1968 and 2010 and found the province’s shoreline eroded to the tune of about a foot per year. Over that time period, a total of 5,000 acres disappeared, equal to half the size of Charlottetown.
Fenech reassures people that, at this rate, it will take 10,000 years for P.E.I. to completely disappear.
Hardest hit
The following P.E.I. National Park areas suffered significant erosion during the Jan. 8 and 15 snowstorms:
- Average annual rate of erosion in P.E.I. National Park between 2010 and 2020 was 1.18 metres.
- North shore of the coastline of Cavendish Campground saw nearly two metres of erosion from the two storms in early January.
- Nearly two metres of the dunes at Brackley Beach were sheered off in those two storms.
- Parks officials also say significant erosion also took place on the west side of the Covehead Bridge.
Parks plan
Mombourquette said Parks Canada is using decades of long-term ecological data to develop a plan of action to deal with what’s to come.
“We know that the rate of shoreline erosion is accelerating in large part because of these winter storms that occur where there is no shoreline ice so now we’re better able to decide where our infrastructure should be in the future. We can anticipate the rate of coastal erosion to more safely improve the visitor experience in the park.”
The north shoreline at the Cavendish Campground was one of the hardest-hit areas during the two January storms so Mombourquette said a good example of infrastructure the P.E.I. National Park may turn to in the future are the mobile cabins that exist at the campground.
“Our bunkies at Cavendish Campground can be easily picked up and relocated as the shoreline recedes. The approach we’re taking is allowing erosion to naturally occur as a natural process and to closely monitor it so we can better plan and prepare for the future.”
Mombourquette said he will be keeping a close eye on how the damaged dunes settle in the spring once the snow and ice melt. Damaged dunes will then begin to slump and develop a new profile.
“At that point, we’ll be interested in how the dune vegetation is recovering and ensuring that people continue to do their part to protect the dunes, including by staying off them.”
People can also help by participating in the coasties initiative that Parks Canada launched last fall where visitors can place their smartphone on the coastie stand, snap a picture of the dunes in the background and submit the picture to coastiecanada.ca.
That’s where researchers at the University of Windsor in Ontario analyze the photos, which tell a story about what’s happening to the shoreline over time.
Since the initiative was launched in Canada, hundreds of pictures have been sent in.
“One coastie taken at Brackley Beach on Jan. 6 and another taken on Jan. 17 indicates the extent of erosion that occurred.”
Dave Stewart is a reporter with the SaltWire Network in Prince Edward Island.
