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Coastal & Marine Geology Program > National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards > Open File Report 03-337

An Overview of Coastal Land Loss: With Emphasis on the Southeastern United States

USGS Open File Report 03-337

by: Robert A. Morton

Summary
Introduction
Physical Agents of Land Loss:
Waves, Currents, & Storm Surges
Landslides & Cliff Retreat
Sediment Budget
Relative Sea Level
Climate & Land Loss
Role of Shoreline Characteristics:
Composition, Induration, & Saturation
Coastal Morphology & Vegetation
Role of Human Activities:
Introduction
Transportation
Coastal Construction
River Modification
Hydrocarbon & Groundwater Extraction
Climate Alteration
Coastal Excavation
Wetland Losses
Acknowledgments
References

Summary

In states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, vast areas of coastal land have been destroyed since the mid 1800s as a result of natural processes and human activities. The physical factors that have the greatest influence on coastal land loss are reductions in sediment supply, relative sea level rise, and frequent storms, whereas the most important human activities are sediment excavation, river modification, and coastal construction. As a result of these agents and activities, coastal land loss is manifested most commonly as beach/bluff erosion and coastal submergence.

Wetlands are a unique class of coastal lands so they are considered independent of upland coastal areas. Wetlands are subjected to the same physical process and activities as other coastal lands, but they are also susceptible to deterioration as a result of biogeochemical processes. Failed reclamation projects and induced subsidence also contribute locally to wetland losses in the southeastern US.

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Related Research Projects:

National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program

Coastal Classification Mapping Project
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program

West-Central Florida Coastal Studies Project
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program

Subsidence and Sea-Level Rise in Southeastern Louisiana: Implications for Coastal Management and Restoration
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology Program

Hurricane and Extreme Storm Impact Studies
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Related Links:

Center for Coastal & Regional Marine Studies
USGS


Coastal & Marine Geology Program > National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards > Open File Report 03-337


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