Coastal Waters and Shorelines

April 17, 2022

Written by: Caroline Kim

The weather is finally getting consistent here in Northern Virginia, and all I can think about are beaches, so here’s a relevant overview of shorelines and their contributions and concerns. Shorelines: narrow strips of earth in which the land and waters edge meet. Because it serves as a bridge between two worlds, a variety of organisms are affected including aquatic life and terrestrial life. Additionally, the different components of shorelines such as wetlands, braces, and dunes work to influence the many aspects of the environment such as water quality, habitats, and sediment stability (Ecosystems Services of Tidal Shorelines). Coastal conditions can be affected by agricultural runoff, chemical pollutants, climate change, and human activity (Coastal Waters). Climate change, which causes more aggressive storms and rise in sea level, by default causes shoreline erosion: the process by which local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast (U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit) (Coastal Resiliency). In fact, coastal flooding and erosion are a global concern (Cunha), and endanger both aquatic/terrestrial life. Additionally, it has proven to be costly: “In the United States, coastal erosion is responsible for roughly $500 million per year in coastal property loss, including damage to structures and loss of land. To mitigate coastal erosion, the federal government spends an average of $150 million every year on beach nourishment and other shoreline erosion control measures. In addition to beach erosion, more than 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands are lost annually…” (U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit). It is clear that the issue is significantly prevalent.

However, a likely solution exists, known as the concept of a living shoreline. A living shoreline is described as a method of coastal protection/conservation through the placement of resources such as sand, stones, and plants (Living Shoreline). The key idea behind this method is that it does not disturb other parts of the environment in the effort to protect the shoreline. For example, “Restoring affected wetlands can reduce wave heights and property damage by buffering the velocity and intensity of waves. In contrast to hard structures such as bulkheads and seawalls, vegetative shorelines provide multiple ecosystem benefits, including improved water quality, aquatic habitat, and carbon sequestration.” (Coastal Resiliency).

Sources:

https://www.vims.edu/GreyLit/VIMS/RiversAndCoast%20v4n1.pdf

“Coastal Waters.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/coastal-waters.

“Coastal Resiliency.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/coastal-resiliency.

Cunha, Jacinto, et al. “Importance of Protection Service against Erosion and Storm Events Provided by Coastal Ecosystems under Climate Change Scenarios.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.726145/full.

National Geographic Society. “Living Shoreline.” National Geographic Society, 9 Oct. 2012, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/living-shoreline/.

“U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.” Coastal Erosion | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, https://toolkit.climate.gov/topics/coastal-flood-risk/coastal-erosion#:~:text=Coastal%20erosion%20is%20the%20process,or%20sands%20along%20the%20coast.