Chris Lindahl @cmlindahlMary Ann Bragg @MaryAnnBraggCCT

SOUTH WELLFLEET Recent storms have once again eaten away at some of Cape Cod's vulnerable shoreline, tearing away sand, destabilizing dunes and eliminating at least one access point to the beach below.

Two sets of stairs to the beach within the Cape Cod National Seashore were closed Tuesday until further notice because of storm damage over the weekend.

At Marconi Beach, the bottom of the stairs was washed away, and the entire structure will need to be removed and replaced, said Karst Hoogeboom, chief of maintenance and facilities at theSeashore.

On Wednesday, Seashore staffers were assessing the stairs at Nauset Light Beach to determine if the structure could be stabilized and reopened, Hoogeboom said. An area of the bluff washed away under the stairs but the structure itself may be OK, he said.

We might be able to save them, he said.

At Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, storm damage to the 208-space northern parking is continuing as it has in previous years, Hoogeboom said. On Wednesday, about 55 spaces were available for use, with the rest of the buckled and eroded lot blocked off to cars. Funding to move the northern parking lot back from the shoreline is expected to be available in 2018, he said.

Watch: Recent storms have damaged the stairs at Marconi Beach

Nauset Light Beach, in particular, is a hot spot for accelerated winter-storm erosion, according to Seashore officials. The federal agency spent about $130,000 to rebuild the stairs for the 2016 summer season but is working with consultants to evaluate options and costs for stairs that could be removed before winter each year and then reinstalled after the threat of winter storms has passed, according to an announcement from the Seashore last year.

In 2013, the National Park Service spent over $200,000 to repair the stairs at Nauset Light Beach and at Marconi Beach after they had been damaged by the previous winter's storms.

Erosion-prone Town Neck Beach in Sandwich also took a beating in Mondays storm, according to David DeConto, the towns assistant director of natural resources.

The worst effects were west of the Sandwich Boardwalk, near homes on Bay Beach Lane and White Cap Path. The storm also took down a portion of town fencing that protects dunes from foot traffic, he said.

DeConto said he suspects that damage was due to two factors: the northerly winds and the fact that some dunes were more square, rather than gently sloping, which makes them more susceptible to erosion. The squared-off dunes were a result of previous storms, he said.

Photo Gallery: Outer Cape erosion

Town officials dont yet have a precise answer on how much beach washed away, DeConto said. Hell need to closely study a series of photographs taken before and after the storm to gauge the exact damage, which varied depending on location, he said.

In a separate project, U.S. Geological Survey officials were at the beach this week taking measurements for a study of the wave action of Cape Cod Bay, which theyll use to create a model. That work and data, including photographs, will also help Sandwich officials with their erosion-control efforts, DeConto said.

Follow Mary Ann Bragg on Twitter: @MaryAnnBraggCCT. Follow Chris Lindahl on Twitter: @cmlindahl.

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Cape beaches bruised by winter weather - Cape Cod Times (subscription)