Here’s how the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has been monitoring erosion on Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - A drone will be soaring over Tybee Island’s beaches over the next few days, flown by a research professional with The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s Alexander lab.

High in the sky, it’s taking photos of the beach and collecting elevation data, using a system known as LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging.

“We’re using laser light pulses from the drone and measuring how long it takes for that pulse to go from the drone back to the land surface and then be reflected back to the drone,” explained Clark Alexander, Director of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

The naturally occurring erosion on Tybee Island has been ramping up in the last few years, creating a need for more frequent renourishment.

Researchers with the Skidaway institute of Oceanography have been observing changes on the beaches and collecting data to create detailed maps. These maps help us better understand erosion on the beaches, and help the city craft a plan to address it.

“To develop a topographic map, if you will, of what the beach looks like so that we could follow both how the dunes are performing and also how the beach is retreating,” Alexander explained.

They do these every three months and after major storms. These maps show patterns of erosion at each section of the beach over time. The most recent map aims to show the island what, if any, impact Hurricane Erin had on the island. All of this, helps the city plan its renourishment process.

“We’ve been able to make recommendations about where they might want to think about doing re-nourishments sooner rather than later to help protect the island,” Alexander said.

The data is presented to City of Tybee leaders, who let the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers know where sand needs to be placed during the renourishment.

Tybee Island’s next beach renourishment is slated for winter of 2026.