Coastal Classification Atlas

Classification Summary

The coastal classification maps provide a basis for establishing the lengths of shore that have a particular morphological characteristic or cultural attribute. Such information is relevant for local and state governments for planning that involves the amount of shore that is developed versus undeveloped, or the amount of parkland held in the public trust. Also there is interest regarding the amount of shore that is affected by engineering structures, referred to as armoring or hardening of the shore. Environmental protection and resource management issues such as these require quantitative data that can be derived from the classification maps.

The shore lengths and equivalent percents of the 208 km segment of coast between Lighthouse Point and St. Andrew Bay Entrance Channel are presented for each classification unit in Table 2. Seventy percent of this coastal segment is undeveloped, and where it is developed, the development is mostly low density (Table 2). Single family homes are more common than multi-family units such as high-rise condominiums and hotels, and 16% of the shore is classified as parks (Table 2). About half of the shore has either continuous or discontinuous dunes, and a washover terrace is present along 26% of the shore (Table 2). A high artificial dune ridge was constructed on Shell Island that in its natural state would have been classified as washover terrace. Eighty percent of the shore is characterized by natural beaches more than 30 m wide or there is a protective exposed bar for approximately 7% of the shore (Table 2). Because the beaches are wide and mostly undeveloped, there is little need to maintain the beaches (1%, Table 2). Areas of complete storm overwash represent about nine percent of the shore (Table 2). The overwash zones are concentrated along the shoals that are located in St. George Sound between Dog Island and Peninsula Point. Less than 2% of the shore is influenced by hard structures (Table 2); most of the structures are riprap revetments built in the backbeach area.

Table 2. Lengths of shore and percentages for the classification units mapped between Lighthouse Point and St. Andrew Bay Entrance Channel. Total length of this coastal segment is about 208 km.

Category Classification Length (km) Percent Pie Chart Washover Overwash 18.9 9 Closed inlet 0.0 0 New Inlet 0.6 0 No overwash 188 91 Dunes Absent 24.5 12 Continuous 46.8 23 Discontinuous 49.8 24 Washover terrace 55.8 26 Artificial Dune 9.9 5 Beach width > 30 m natural 167.7 80 > 30 m maintained 1.5 1 < 30 m natural 24.9 12 < 30 m maintained 0.0 0 exposed bar 13.7 7 Structures No structure 204.4 99 Wall 0.7 0 Riprap 2.2 1 Groins 0.3 0 Multiple structures 0.1 0 Development Density Undeveloped 145.7 70 Low density 40.2 19 Moderate density 20.6 10 High density 1.3 1 Dwelling Type No dwelling 116.3 55 Single family 49.3 24 Mixed 7.5 4 Multi-unit 2.5 1 Park 32.2 16