SHORELINE CHANGES ONLINE
One of the most effective means of monitoring the cumulative effects of natural processes and human activities on the shoreline is to study the patterns and extent of shoreline change over time. This interactive application is based on a study that evaluated the magnitude of shoreline change (erosion or accretion) along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays, and Atlantic coast (Hennessee et al. 2003). With this interactive map viewer, users can display a series of historical shorelines and examine site-specific rates of change along closely-spaced transects.
Based on a comparison of historical shoreline positions, this tool presents the distance between shorelines and the annual rate of change in shoreline position. Accreting reaches of shoreline and reaches characterized by low rates of erosion (< 2 feet/year) suggest comparative stability, with little erosive force from wind and wave action. These areas commonly border small creeks or rivers, where the fetch is too short to produce waves capable of removing considerable sediment and vegetation from the shoreline.
Directions (660 kb file) for using the Shoreline Changes Online map viewer are available. A general introduction to the application provides instructions for activating data themes, navigating through the application, analyzing rates of change, and viewing metadata.
The historical shorelines and the rates of change derived from this application are intended for general use and education purposes only. Any conclusions or decisions based on the use of these tools are the responsibility of the user. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Towson University, or any other participants assume no liability for any damages caused by inaccuracies in the data or misuse of the information. Data are not intended for the determination of jurisdictional wetland or Critical Area boundaries. Please contact Maryland Geological Survey for specific questions about how the shoreline change data were generated. The information is not intended to predict future shoreline position, nor can it determine short-term changes associated with short-term storm events. Not all shorelines are available for each time period. This application reports average rates of shoreline change over about the last 50 years. The application is also capable of providing shoreline trends since the mid-1800s, but shorelines acquired from sources earlier than about 1940 were deemed less accurate than more recent shorelines.
