Massachusetts Shoreline Positions From 1844 To 1994

Five historic shoreline positions for Massachusetts from 1844 to 1994 document coastal erosion and accretion. The dataset was produced by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management office in collaboration with the USGS and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. It updates a previous analysis from the mid-1800s to 1978 with new 1994 shoreline data.

Use Cases

• Calculate long-term erosion rates by comparing the positions of the five historic shoreline features over the 150-year period.
• Identify coastlines prone to significant erosion by analyzing spatial patterns in the shoreline change data.
• Assess regional accretion trends using the geospatial data on shoreline gain.
• Model future shoreline positions by applying statistical analysis from the historic shoreline change rates.

Strengths

• Data spans a 150-year period from 1844 to 1994.
• Includes five distinct historic shoreline positions for analysis.
• Analysis and maps were produced by authoritative agencies including CZM, USGS, and WHOI.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update from 1994.
• Sample size is limited to the Massachusetts ocean-facing coastline.
• Only one line segment can be downloaded at a time from the source system.

Provenance

Source

Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant Program.

Collection Method

Shorelines derived from historical maps and 1994 NOAA aerial photographs, with statistical analysis of change.

Time Range

1844 to 1994

Freshness

Static historical dataset; last updated in 1994.

Geography

Massachusetts ocean-facing coastline.