Description: Estuarine coastlines are receiving increased attention from federal, state, and local managers as they experience rapid development over the past several decades in Georgia and neighboring states. Most oceanfront shorelines along Georgia’s barrier islands are protected against development and space along developed islands such as Tybee and Jekyll is extremely limited. As a result, sheltered estuarine coastlines have become more attractive for development. However, these shorelines are subject to a similar range of threats from erosion, storms, and sea level rise. Although shoreline management plans have concentrated mostly on oceanfront beaches, the focus on estuarine shorelines is increasing, especially within the Southeastern U.S., in order to understand their movements and influence on vulnerability of adjacent habitats and development. The project, funded by Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (Coastal Resources Division), focused on Georgia’s estuarine and barrier island shorelines. Shoreline mapping and analysis efforts were conducted at the Applied Coastal Research Lab at Georgia Southern University. Historical shorelines were assembled and changes analyzed using AMBUR for shorelines in this dataset from the 1800s, 1930s, and 2000s. This dataset also includes additional shoreline data from other time periods and will be updated with additional shoreline data as needed.
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Copyright Text: Chester W. Jackson Jr., Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Geology Department of Geology & Geography Georgia Southern University P.O. Box 8149 Statesboro, GA 30460-8149 cjackson@georgiasouthern.edu Applied Coastal Research Laboratory Georgia Southern University 10 Ocean Science Circle Savannah, GA 31411