The Green Hill Beach Survey Site is located in South Kingstown, RI (see map), and it has been surveyed since 1962. The Green Hill Beach area was developed as a summer cottage community, with beachfront homes built along the shore in the early 20th century. Many of these cottages were destroyed by the Great Hurricane of 1938. Today, the beach remains largely a private, community-access shoreline managed through local associations like the Green Hill Civic Association, and it continues to be reshaped by wave.
The beach has been steadily eroding since the 1960s, with significant losses in cross-shore distance and changes in elevation.
Hurricane Sandy & Green Hill Beach
Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012 caused significant erosion (>30 feet) of the upper beach and dune. While there was significant recovery by 2018, winter storms in 2022-2024 caused more erosion.
Explore Beach Profiles at Green Hill Beach
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 25 feet of dune erosion, and there has been limited recovery since then.