Changes in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior on a Nourished Beach in Southeast Florida.

Ernest, R.G.; Martin, R.E.; Desjardin, N.A.; Scripter, M.J.; Scarola, J.C.; Kim, H., and Trindell, R., 2025. Changes in loggerhead sea turtle nesting behavior on a nourished beach in southeast Florida. Journal of Coastal Research, 41(1), 27–48. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Under Florida's Strategic Beach Management Plan, large volumes of sand dredged offshore are routinely placed on beaches to mitigate shoreline erosion, a process known as beach nourishment. Sandy beaches, vital to the state's tourism economy, are also biologically critical to NW Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Long-term data have shown that nourishment projects can negatively affect sea turtle nesting behavior, and to date, no design changes have effectively ameliorated these impacts. The frequency of beach nourishment projects in Florida will likely increase with a changing climate, and thus, it is imperative that they be designed and built to enhance sea turtle nesting habitat. In this study, real-time kinematic GPS and binned logistic regression analyses were used to identify changes in loggerhead sea turtle nesting success, beach utilization, and nest placement associated with a beach nourishment project on Hutchinson Island, Florida. Beach profile characteristics (width, slope, and elevation) were analyzed before and after nourishment to determine the likelihood of a turtle either nesting or abandoning its nesting attempt. Results showed that: (1) fewer loggerhead nests were placed on the nourished beach, even though the number of nesting attempts was similar before and after nourishment; (2) the percentage of nests washed out on the wide, flat nourished beach was 3.5 times greater than on the narrower, naturally sloped beach that preceded nourishment; and (3) a change in the cross-sectional beach profile was most strongly associated with decreased odds of nesting following nourishment. It is recommended that future nourishment projects in central and southeast Florida be designed and constructed, in consideration of local conditions, with as much slope as possible from the waterline to the dune. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]