Located in Charlestown, RI (see map), East Beach separates Ninigret Pond from the Atlantic Ocean and forms the southern edge of Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. East Beach is a barrier beach spit extending easterly from Quonochontaug Neck to the Charlestown Breach. It is one of the least developed and visited beaches in Rhode Island. Also, it is the only beach that has exhibited some net accretion since 1963.
Hurricane Sandy & East Beach 1
Hurricane Sandy caused about 40 ft of beach erosion at the East Beach 1 survey site, but the area showed recovery in following years.
Explore Beach Profiles at East Beach 1
Use the tool below to look at all of the beach survey data between any time period. The default view shows all the profiles since January 2022. Powerful winter storms in 2022-2024 caused about 20 feet of dune erosion, and there has been little recovery since then except along the beach (elevations <10 ft).