Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 4.1 Transects with Short-Term Rate Calculations for the New Jersey North region from Sandy Hook to Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey (NewJerseyN_ST.shp)

Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination, often surrounded by communities containing valuable real estate. Development is on the rise despite the fact that coastal infrastructure is subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, there is an increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes. To meet these national needs, the Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is compiling existing reliable historical shoreline data along open-ocean sandy shores of the conterminous United States and parts of Alaska and Hawaii under the National Assessment of Shoreline Change project.
There is no widely accepted standard for analyzing shoreline change. Existing shoreline data measurements and rate calculation methods vary from study to study and prevent combining results into state-wide or regional assessments. The impetus behind the National Assessment project was to develop a standardized method of measuring changes in shoreline position that is consistent from coast to coast. The goal was to facilitate the process of periodically and systematically updating the results in an internally consistent manner.

滨海沙质海滩是广受青睐的休闲度假目的地，周边通常坐落着拥有高价值不动产的聚居社区。尽管沿海基础设施长期面临洪涝与侵蚀威胁，海岸带开发活动仍呈增长态势。因此，社会对精准掌握海岸岸线过去与当前变化情况的需求日益高涨。为满足此类国家层面的需求，美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）下属的海岸与海洋地质项目组，依托全国岸线变化评估（National Assessment of Shoreline Change）项目，正在整编美国本土及阿拉斯加、夏威夷部分区域的近海沙质海岸沿线现有可靠历史岸线数据。
目前尚无被广泛认可的岸线变化分析标准。现有岸线数据测量方法与岸线变化速率计算方案因研究而异，导致相关成果无法整合至全州或区域尺度的评估工作中。本次全国评估项目的核心动因，便是开发一套跨海岸通用、统一规范的岸线位置变化测量标准方法。其目标在于实现以内部一致性为准则，定期、系统地更新岸线变化评估结果。