Abstract
Coastal areas are essential to the economic, cultural, and environmental health of the Nation, yet by nature
coastal areas are constantly changing due to a variety of events and processes. Extreme storms can cause dramatic
changes to our shorelines in a matter of hours, while sea-level rise can profoundly alter coastal environments over
decades. These changes can have a devastating impact on coastal communities, such as the loss of homes built on
retreating sea cliffs or protective dunes eroded by storm waves. Sometimes, however, the changes can be positive,
such as new habitat created by storm deposits. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is meeting the need for
scientific understanding of how our coasts respond to different hazards with continued assessments of current
and future changes along U.S. coastlines. Through the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH),
the USGS carries out the unique task of quantifying coastal change hazards along open-ocean coasts in the
United States and its territories. Residents of coastal communities, emergency managers, and other stakeholders
can use science-based data, tools, models, and other products to improve planning and enhance resilience.
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First posted August 27, 2013
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