68 Percent of New England and Mid-Atlantic beaches Eroding

68 Percent of New England and Mid-Atlantic beaches Eroding

Released: 2/23/2011 8:00:00 AM

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WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- An assessment of coastal change over the past 150 years has found 68 percent of beaches in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region are eroding, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today.

Scientists studied more than 650 miles of the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts and found the average rate of coastal change – taking into account beaches that are both eroding and prograding -- was negative 1.6 feet per year. Of those beaches eroding, the most extreme case exceeded 60 feet per year.

The past 25 to 30 years saw a small reduction in the percentage of beaches eroding – dropping to 60 percent, possibly as a result of beach restoration activities such as adding sand to beaches.

“This report provides invaluable objective data to help scientists and managers better understand natural changes to and human impacts on the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts,” said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. “The information gathered can inform decisions about future land use, transportation corridors, and restoration projects.”

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The report, titled "http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1118/">National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Historical Shoreline Change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts," is the fifth report produced as part of the USGS’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change project. An http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1119/">accompanying report that provides the geographic information system (GIS) data used to conduct the coastal change analysis is being released simultaneously.

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