Massachusetts Historic Shoreline Change

These data show the relative positions of five historic shorelines between 1844 and 1994. Coastal shorelines change constantly in response to wind, waves, tides, sea level fluctuation, seasonal and climatic variation, human alteration, and other factors that influence the movement of sand and material within a shoreline system. The loss (erosion) and gain (accretion) of coastal land is a visible result of the way shorelines are reshaped in the face of these dynamic conditions. In the previous phase of the Shoreline Change Project, CZM completed a statistical analysis from the mid-1800s to 1978 for Massachusetts ocean-facing coastline and produced 76 maps showing several historic shorelines to demonstrate long-term shoreline change. CZM distributed these maps to coastal conservation commissions in 1997, helping local decision makers identify coastlines that are prone to storm damage and significant erosion and to assess erosion potential. CZM recently completed an update of the Shoreline Change Project, using 1994 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aerial photographs of the Massachusetts shoreline. CZM established an agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant Program, and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension (CCCE) to produce a 1994 shoreline, add it to the previous project, and update the statistics and calculate erosion rates. The work was conducted by Rob Thieler and Courtney Schupp at the USGS and Jim O'Connell at the WHOI Sea Grant Program and CCCE. The new maps and statistical analysis of shoreline change now cover the time period from the mid-1800s to 1994. Please visit the Massachusetts Historic Shoreline Change Project website (http://www.mass.gov/czm/hazards/shoreline_change/shorelinechangeproject.htm) to read the Shoreline Change Fact Sheet, which explains the project and gives directions for using and interpreting the maps and data tables. Please note: Only one line segment can be downloaded at a time from the Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System (MORIS).