Massachusetts Shoreline Change Project

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
251 Causeway Street, Suite 800Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1200617-626-1240 (fax)
czm@state.ma.us

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Shoreline Change Map

To help make informed and responsible decisions, coastal managers, shorefront landowners, and potential property buyers need information on both current and historical shoreline trends, including reliable measurements of erosion and accretion rates in non-stable areas. The goal of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Shoreline Change Project is to develop and distribute scientific data that will help inform local land use decisions.

CZM's Shoreline Change Project illustrates how the shoreline of Massachusetts has shifted between the mid-1800s and 1994. Five relative high water lines and change rates at 40-meter intervals along the ocean-facing shore have been determined using data from historical and modern sources. CZM has incorporated these shoreline change data into MORIS, the Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System, which can be readily accessed by the public.

View the Shoreline Change Map: Please proceed to the Shoreline Change Fact Sheet, which explains the use and limitations of this project and leads to an online map with available shorelines, transects, and rates of change.