A study by the Coastal Research and Planning Institute of Puerto Rico, part of the University of Puerto Rico's Graduate School of Planning, found that 75% of beaches along Puerto Rico's north coast show erosion processes. The UPR announced the findings on Wednesday after the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published data from the project "Coastal Changes in Eleven Municipalities of Puerto Rico's North Coast" (2022-2023).
The project was led by geologists Maritza Barreto Orta and Kevián Pérez Valentín of UPR's Río Piedras campus, with oceanographer Legna Torres García of USGS, funded by a competitive $499,000 grant over two years. Using geospatial tools, researchers evaluated changes in beach width and coastline shifts between 2018 and 2023 across Rincón, Aguadilla, Isabela, Hatillo, Arecibo, Vega Baja, Dorado, Carolina, Loíza, Río Grande, and Luquillo. Results showed 75% of analyzed beach transects had erosion, with subaerial beach width reductions ranging from 0.01 to 92 meters, while only 25% showed accretion, with increases between 0.01 and 154 meters.
Barreto Orta said the findings call for strengthening coastal adaptation and planning strategies, stressing the need to integrate scientific data into territorial planning to anticipate risks, protect communities and infrastructure, and address climate change and extreme events.