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Modes and Patterns of Shoreline Change

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Encyclopedia of Coastal Science

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series ((EESS))

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Introduction

It is estimated that worldwide 70% of all beaches are eroding (Bird, 1985); in the United States this percentage may approach 90% (Heinz Center, 2000). Nearly every developed shoreline in the United States is retreating, and the coast is on a collision course with seaside development. This problem is manifest in the United States where heavily developed barrier islands are experiencing sea-level rise and beach erosion. For example, Galgano (1998) demonstrated that more than 86% of US East Coast beaches are eroding. With property values estimated at over $3 trillion for the US East and Gulf Coast barriers, these policy decisions invariably have important economic consequences for coastal communities. Consequently, a precise understanding of shoreline (defined as the high water line or wet-dry boundary) change using accurate shoreline change models and geomorphic characteristics is paramount.

Managing beach erosion is a difficult challenge for government agencies. The costs...

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Cross-references

  1. Barrier Islands

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  2. Beach Erosion

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  3. Beach Processes

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  4. Coastline Changes

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  5. Coasts, Coastlines, Shores, and Shoreline

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  6. Erosion: Historical Analysis and Forecasting

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  7. Littoral Cells

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  8. Mapping Shores and Coastal Terrain

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  9. Microtidal Coasts

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  10. Tidal Inlets

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  11. Tidal Prism

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  12. Tide-Dominated Coasts

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  13. Wave-and Tide-Dominated Coasts

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  14. Wave-Dominated Coasts

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Authors
  1. Francis A. Galgano
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  2. Stephen P. Leatherman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

    Maurice L. Schwartz

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© 2005 Springer

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Galgano, F.A., Leatherman, S.P. (2005). Modes and Patterns of Shoreline Change. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_217

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