The study looked at how the size of sand grains on shorelines affects how quickly they recover after being eroded by storm waves. By comparing different methods, researchers found that the recovery of shorelines is mainly determined by the median grain size of the sand, not the height of the waves. They discovered that the beach recovery factor, which influences how fast shorelines recover, can be predicted based on the median grain size. This information can help predict how much a shoreline will erode during a storm, and can be used to better manage coastal erosion in the future.