Offshore baseline for the western North Carolina (NCwest) coastal region generated to calculate shoreline change rates

Sandy ocean beaches in the United States are popular tourist and recreational destinations and constitute some of the most valuable real estate in the country. The boundary between land and water along the coastline is often the location of concentrated residential and commercial development and is frequently exposed to a range of natural hazards, which include flooding, storm effects, and coastal erosion. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a national assessment of coastal change hazards. One component of this research effort, the National Assessment of Shoreline Change Project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/shoreline-change/), documents changes in shoreline position as a proxy for coastal change. Shoreline [...]