Massachusetts Historic Shoreline Change Project

Shoreline Change Map

The update of the Historic Shoreline Change Project provides 1:10,000 scale shoreline change maps and accompanying data tables that show the relative positions of four or five historic shorelines and depict the long-term change rates at 40-meter intervals along the shore. The Massachusetts Geographic Information System (MassGIS) incorporated the maps and data tables into the Shoreline Change Browser.

Online Components of the CZM Shoreline Change Project:

• The Shoreline Change Fact Sheet, Massachusetts Shifting Shorelines: New Data on Shoreline Change, which explains the project and gives directions for using and interpreting the maps and data tables.
• A link to the Shoreline Change Browser, which provides the maps and data tables.
• The Shoreline Change Project Technical Report, which gives an in-depth technical explanation of the project and map interpretation. (PDF, 1.48 MB)

Please Read the Shoreline Change Fact Sheet
To correctly interpret the shoreline change data, long- and short-term data must be analyzed and evaluated in light of current shoreline conditions, recent changes in shoreline uses, and the effects of human-induced alterations to natural shoreline movements. Therefore, please read the Shoreline Change Fact Sheet before attempting to use the Shoreline Change Browser to view the maps and data. The fact sheet explains the process of shoreline change and discusses its impacts, summarizes the CZM Shoreline Change Project, and explains how to interpret information contained in the shoreline change maps and data tables.