National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards Active
Research to identify areas that are most vulnerable to coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise.
Coastlines are constantly changing landscapes that pose fascinating science questions as well as unique management challenges. The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH) provides robust scientific findings that help to identify areas that are most vulnerable to diverse coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise. Through extensive observation, modeling and prediction of these processes, scientists gauge how U.S. shores have historically shifted, and how past changes will affect their vulnerability to future hazards.
Storm-Induced Coastal Change Hazards - Research to understand the magnitude and variability of extreme storm impacts on sandy beaches in order to improve real-time and scenario-based predictions of coastal change to support management of coastal infrastructure, resources, and safety.
Long-Term Coastal Change - Nationally-consistent compilation of historic shoreline positions and maps of changes along open-ocean sandy shores of the conterminous U.S. and parts of Alaska and Hawaii.
Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise - Historical and recent observations of coastal change are combined with model simulations of beaches, barrier islands, wetlands, and coastal aquifers to determine the probability of coastal change due to sea-level rise.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal - Online access to data and tools enables users to apply coastal change hazards assessments to their specific needs.
Integration of Processes over Different Spatial and Temporal Scales - Integration of the different scales of coastal processes to better understand future vulnerability to storms, long-term erosion, and sea-level rise.
Below are research tasks and science projects associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Extended Kalman Filter framework for forecasting shoreline evolution
Hotspot of accelerated sea-level rise on the Atlantic coast of North America
National assessment of hurricane-induced coastal erosion hazards--Gulf of Mexico
National assessment of shoreline change: Historical shoreline change in the Hawaiian Islands
National Assessment of Shoreline Change; historical shoreline change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts
Predicting coastal cliff erosion using a Bayesian probabilistic model
The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts
Rates and trends of coastal change in california and the regional behavior of the beach and cliff system
The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of vector cliff edges and associated cliff erosion data for the California coast
A simple model for the spatially-variable coastal response to hurricanes
The National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the sandy shorelines of the California coast
Empirical parameterization of setup, swash, and runup
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal
Interactive access to coastal change science and data for our Nation’s coasts. Information and products are organized within three coastal change hazard themes: 1) extreme storms, 2) shoreline change, and 3) sea-level rise. Displays probabilities of coastal erosion.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Overview
Research to identify areas that are most vulnerable to coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise.
Coastlines are constantly changing landscapes that pose fascinating science questions as well as unique management challenges. The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH) provides robust scientific findings that help to identify areas that are most vulnerable to diverse coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise. Through extensive observation, modeling and prediction of these processes, scientists gauge how U.S. shores have historically shifted, and how past changes will affect their vulnerability to future hazards.
Storm-Induced Coastal Change Hazards - Research to understand the magnitude and variability of extreme storm impacts on sandy beaches in order to improve real-time and scenario-based predictions of coastal change to support management of coastal infrastructure, resources, and safety.
Long-Term Coastal Change - Nationally-consistent compilation of historic shoreline positions and maps of changes along open-ocean sandy shores of the conterminous U.S. and parts of Alaska and Hawaii.
Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise - Historical and recent observations of coastal change are combined with model simulations of beaches, barrier islands, wetlands, and coastal aquifers to determine the probability of coastal change due to sea-level rise.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal - Online access to data and tools enables users to apply coastal change hazards assessments to their specific needs.
Integration of Processes over Different Spatial and Temporal Scales - Integration of the different scales of coastal processes to better understand future vulnerability to storms, long-term erosion, and sea-level rise.
- Science
Below are research tasks and science projects associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 31Extended Kalman Filter framework for forecasting shoreline evolution
A shoreline change model incorporating both long- and short-term evolution is integrated into a data assimilation framework that uses sparse observations to generate an updated forecast of shoreline position and to estimate unobserved geophysical variables and model parameters. Application of the assimilation algorithm provides quantitative statistical estimates of combined model-data forecast uncAuthorsJoseph Long, Nathaniel G. PlantHotspot of accelerated sea-level rise on the Atlantic coast of North America
Climate warming does not force sea-level rise (SLR) at the same rate everywhere. Rather, there are spatial variations of SLR superimposed on a global average rise. These variations are forced by dynamic processes, arising from circulation and variations in temperature and/or salinity, and by static equilibrium processes, arising from mass redistributions changing gravity and the Earth's rotation aAuthorsAsbury H. Sallenger,, Kara S. Doran, Peter A. HowdNational assessment of hurricane-induced coastal erosion hazards--Gulf of Mexico
Sandy beaches provide a natural barrier between the ocean and inland communities, ecosystems, and resources. However, these dynamic environments move and change in response to winds, waves, and currents. During a hurricane, these changes can be large and sometimes catastrophic. High waves and storm surge act together to erode beaches and inundate low-lying lands, putting inland communities at riskAuthorsHilary F. Stockdon, Kara S. Doran, David M. Thompson, Kristin L. Sopkin, Nathaniel G. Plant, Asbury H. SallengerNational assessment of shoreline change: Historical shoreline change in the Hawaiian Islands
Sandy beaches of the United States are some of the most popular tourist and recreational destinations. Coastal property constitutes some of the most valuable real estate in the country. Beaches are an ephemeral environment between water and land with unique and fragile natural ecosystems that have evolved in equilibrium with the ever-changing winds, waves, and water levels. Beachfront lands are thAuthorsCharles H. Fletcher, Bradley M. Romine, Ayesha S. Genz, Matthew M. Barbee, Matthew Dyer, Tiffany R. Anderson, S. Chyn Lim, Sean Vitousek, Christopher Bochicchio, Bruce M. RichmondNational Assessment of Shoreline Change; historical shoreline change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts
Beach erosion is a chronic problem along many open-ocean shores of the United States. As coastal populations continue to grow and community infrastructures are threatened by erosion, there is increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present trends and rates of shoreline movement. There is also a need for a comprehensive analysis of shoreline movement that is consistent from oneAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, Emily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Jeffrey H. List, E. Robert ThielerPredicting coastal cliff erosion using a Bayesian probabilistic model
Regional coastal cliff retreat is difficult to model due to the episodic nature of failures and the along-shore variability of retreat events. There is a growing demand, however, for predictive models that can be used to forecast areas vulnerable to coastal erosion hazards. Increasingly, probabilistic models are being employed that require data sets of high temporal density to define the joint proAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, Nathaniel G. PlantThe national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts
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. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment ofAuthorsEmily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Cheryl Hapke, E. Robert Thieler, Jeffrey ListRates and trends of coastal change in california and the regional behavior of the beach and cliff system
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an analysis of shoreline change and cliff retreat along the California coast. This is the first regional, systematic measurement of coastal change conducted for the West Coast. Long-term (-120 y) and short-term (-25 y) shoreline change rates were calculated for more than 750 km of coastline, and 70 year cliff-retreat rates were generated for 350AuthorsC.J. Hapke, Don Reid, B. RichmondThe National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of vector cliff edges and associated cliff erosion data for the California coast
The U.S. Geological Survey has generated a comprehensive data clearinghouse of digital vector cliff edges and associated rates of cliff retreat along the open-ocean California coast. These data, which are presented herein, were compiled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. Cliff erosion is a chronic problem along many coastlines of the United StAuthorsCheryl Hapke, David Reid, Mark BorrelliA simple model for the spatially-variable coastal response to hurricanes
The vulnerability of a beach to extreme coastal change during a hurricane can be estimated by comparing the relative elevations of storm-induced water levels to those of the dune or berm. A simple model that defines the coastal response based on these elevations was used to hindcast the potential impact regime along a 50-km stretch of the North Carolina coast to the landfalls of Hurricane Bonnie oAuthorsH.F. Stockdon, A. H. Sallenger, R.A. Holman, P.A. HowdThe National Assessment of Shoreline Change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the sandy shorelines of the California coast
Introduction The Coastal and Marine Geology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey has generated a comprehensive data clearinghouse of digital vector shorelines and shoreline change rates for the sandy shoreline along the California open coast. These data, which are presented herein, were compiled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project. Beach eAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, David ReidEmpirical parameterization of setup, swash, and runup
Using shoreline water-level time series collected during 10 dynamically diverse field experiments, an empirical parameterization for extreme runup, defined by the 2% exceedence value, has been developed for use on natural beaches over a wide range of conditions. Runup, the height of discrete water-level maxima, depends on two dynamically different processes; time-averaged wave setup and total swasAuthorsH.F. Stockdon, R.A. Holman, P.A. Howd, A. H. Sallenger - Web Tools
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal
Interactive access to coastal change science and data for our Nation’s coasts. Information and products are organized within three coastal change hazard themes: 1) extreme storms, 2) shoreline change, and 3) sea-level rise. Displays probabilities of coastal erosion.
ByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Dorian, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Isaias, Hurricane Jose, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Marco, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Nate, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricanes - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.