From the golden shores of California to the sun-soaked beaches of Florida, America’s coastlines aren’t just beautiful—they’re essential. They power local economies and protect the nation’s critical infrastructure and coastal communities. But behind those iconic shores is an unsung hero making it all possible: sand.
It may seem small. It may seem simple. But sandy beaches are our first line of natural defense against the damage storm surges and chronic coastal erosion can cause to our coastal infrastructure. Every year, storms and waves erode U.S. beaches. When that sand disappears, so do the visitors who fill our hotels, restaurants, and shops. Coastal tourism generates over $150 billion annually, supporting jobs across the country from Maine to California. Without healthy beaches, that revenue vanishes—and so do the businesses that depend on it. And it doesn’t stop there. Sand is the shield protecting some of the most critical infrastructure in the nation, including those owned by NASA and coastal military facilities. When beaches erode, these and other critical centers are put at risk.
This is where BOEM comes in. Under our statutory responsibility through the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, BOEM manages the nation’s offshore sand resources that rebuild and fortify the nation’s beaches. We make sure local communities have access to the offshore sand they need to restore eroded coastlines, defend critical infrastructure, and keep the heart of the American coastal economy beating strong.
For a maritime nation like the United States, the shores have always been a symbol of strength. They’re home to working ports, historic towns, world-renowned resorts, and millions of people who have built and sustained their unique seaside communities. The shores are not just where land meets the sea—they serve as the frontline of our coastal economy and are a proud part of what makes this country great.
The next time you find yourself on a beach, take a moment to appreciate the ground beneath you. It might not look like much, but it’s the foundation of America’s coastal prosperity. And thanks to BOEM’s work to manage and protect our offshore resources, those beaches—and the infrastructure behind them—will stay strong for generations to come.
Because in the end, sand isn’t just what holds our shores together. It’s what helps hold America together.
BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program
BOEM’s Marine Minerals Program (MMP) partners with communities to reduce serious erosion along the nation's coastal beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and wetlands. To learn more about the MMP and how it supports the coasts, visit https://www.boem.gov/marine-minerals.
Marine Mineral Research at BOEM
BOEM partners with federal agencies, state and local governments, regional planning bodies, industry and private sector, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, tribes, and the public to conduct research.
The MMP funds two types of research:
- Resource Evaluation, which gathers and analyzes data to find and manage important marine minerals like sand and sediment
- Environmental Research, which examines the effects of mineral exploration and extraction to inform plans (e.g., mitigation measures) to minimize any negative impacts on the environment
Explore BOEM’s MMP research by browsing our library of electronic reports:
https://www.boem.gov/environmental-studies
https://www.boem.gov/marine-mineral-studies
Recent Research Studies
Regional Essential Fish Habitat Geospatial Assessment and Framework for Offshore Sand Features (2020)
The dredging of the OCS, and sand shoals in particular, is likely to increase as nearshore sand resources are depleted while demand increases due to renourishment cycles for beaches, emergency repairs of beaches after storms, and the projected effects of sea-level rise. BOEM conducted this four-volume study of the shallow waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of America OCS to examine the potential effects of dredging on fish and fish habitat, identification and classification of sand resources, distribution of fish species, and development an interactive mapping tool.
Productivity and Ecology of Sand Shoals System Modeling (2024)
Sand lance are small fish that serve as a crucial link in the ocean food web, burrowing into the sandy bottom of the seafloor. To better understand the potential impacts sand harvesting could have on the sand lance – and the fish, birds, whales and seals that depend on them – BOEM partnered with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary located offshore of Massachusetts. No mining or leasing activities are permitted in the Sanctuary, making it an ideal living laboratory to better understand sand lance populations and seafloor ecology. BOEM’s investment in scientific research helps our partners and programs work more efficiently together.
-- BOEM --
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.