Maine's beach dunes are slowly recovering from devastation during back-to-back coastal storms almost two years ago.
But according to the latest state beach mapping data, Popham Beach is eroding faster than any other stretch of sand in Maine.
The Popham Beach Spit area near the eponymous state park has the highest rate of negative beach change in the state, losing about 91 feet a year since 2017, according to the mapping report.
Peter Slovinsky, a coastal geologist with the Maine Geological Survey said a eastward shift in the course of the Morse River is responsible for dramatic beach losses in recent years.
"It kind of eats away and erodes all of the dunes that have accreted say in the last 5-10 years, and this process happens about every 10-15 years," Slovinsky said.
Erosion is likely to continue until the river resumes its normal course, he added.
"We're going to continue seeing erosion problems and you are going to see narrow beaches, people who have to time their visits with low tides, things like that," Slovinsky said.
Overall, Maine's dune systems recovered 40% of the damage sustained during powerful storms two years ago. Overall, Maine beaches gained 11 feet on average in the last year, according to the mapping report.
Slovinsky said beach gains provide more sand to restore dune systems. Further recovery depends on whether storms pummel the coast again this winter, he added.
"When we have these very large storm events like we had in January 2024, they move so much sand off of the beach that it takes a couple seasons for it to actually recover," Slovinsky said.
