NCDCM – Digital Shoreline Maps Finalized

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has finalized a project to create the first ever continuous digital map of more than 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline in North Carolina.

Through a partnership between the NCDCM and East Carolina University, the project identified the mileage of shoreline types such as a marsh or a swamp forest and the number of shoreline structures such as piers and bulkheads along estuarine waterways.

Using the most recently available aerial photography for each county, the estuarine shoreline for all 20 coastal counties has been digitized and is now available to view on the state Division of Coastal Management’s website.

The maps can be used by DCM, local governments and researchers to assess changes in shorelines and structures, study where and why shorelines are eroding, monitor future changes, and better understand development trends along our estuarine shorelines.