Introduction
Shifting Sands: Sandy ocean beaches are naturally unstable as waves, currents, and winds constantly shift the landscape. These ephemeral interfaces between land and water are often sites of intense development even though they are frequently subjected to natural hazards including flooding, storms, and coastal erosion.
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Beach erosion is a chronic problem along most open-ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow, and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes. There is also need for a comprehensive analysis of shoreline movement that is regionally consistent. To meet these national needs, the Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting an analysis of historical shoreline changes along open-ocean sandy shores of the conterminous United States and parts of Alaska and Hawaii. A primary goal of this work is to develop standardized methods for mapping and analyzing shoreline movement so that internally consistent updates can periodically be made to record shoreline erosion and accretion.
Products
Internet Map Servers
- USGS U.S. Southeast Atlantic Change Internet Map Server
This Internet Map Server site includes individual data layers compiled in support of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Program. Data layers include short- and long-term shoreline change evaluations, and historical and modern shorelines released via The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the U.S. Southest Atlantic Coast (OFR 2005-1326).
- USGS U.S. Gulf of Mexico Shoreline Change Internet Map Server
This Internet Map Server site includes individual data layers compiled in support of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Program. Data layers include short- and long-term shoreline change evaluations, and historical and modern shorelines released via The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (OFR 2004-1089).
- USGS California Coast Sandy Shoreline Change Internet Map Server
This Internet Map Server site includes individual data layers compiled in support of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Program. Data layers include short- and long-term shoreline change evaluations, and historical and modern shorelines released via The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines and Associated Shoreline Change Data for the Sandy Shorelines of the California Coast (OFR 2006-1251).
Open File Reports
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey