Our Moving Shoreline
May 1, 2004
Scientists in the Coastal Ocean Institute (COI) are studying coastal erosion, storm impacts, development, nutrient inputs from septic systems and agriculture, and other phenomenon that impact our shoreline. A recent study of the Massachusetts coast, for example, found that an average of two feet per year is being lost to erosion, much more in some locations, eliminating beaches and placing waterfront homes at risk. Warmer weather attracts millions to beaches and the coast, where rip currents and jellyfish that sting can pose hazards. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant program and the Coastal Ocean Institute have information about many coastal topics. June 1 is the official start of hurricane season.
Sand has washed back into the dunes along the Cape Cod seashore. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)