Discussion of: Delgado, I. and Lloyd, G., 2004. A Simple Low Cost Method for One-Person Beach Profiling. Journal of Coastal Research, 20(4), 1246–1252.

The accuracy of elevation measurements obtained with a recently described one-person beach profiling method is examined. A reanalysis of the available data indicates that the accuracy of this method is below the reported average of 99.76%, and actually ranges from about 91% to 99%. Of greater concern, the absolute error in elevation measurements (average = 15 cm, maximum = 35 cm) is shown to be large enough to potentially exceed temporal changes in profile elevation, effectively rendering those changes undetectable. It is suggested that the acceptable level of error for a given project be carefully considered prior to adoption of this method.