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cover of coastal erosion assessment book

Coastal Erosion Assessment for Maine FIRMs
and Map Modernization Plan


by

Stephen M. Dickson
State Marine Geologist
Maine Geological Survey
Department of Conservation
93 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0022


prepared July 2, 2003 for


W. Louis Sidell, Jr. CFM
State Floodplain Management Coordinator
Maine Floodplain Management Program
State Planning Office
38 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0038


Online Edition, 2006


View the report in PDF format.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Beach and bluff erosion processes along the Maine coast

  • An Eroding Coast
  • Sea Level
  • Rising Floodplains
  • Causes of Shoreline Change
    • Waves
    • Tidal Currents
    • Flooding
    • Coastal Engineering
      • Seawalls
      • Jetties
      • Dredging
  • Cumulative Human Action

Erosion mapping methods and Maine data sets

  • Historical Shoreline Change Analysis
    • Map Analysis
    • Air Photo Analysis
    • Shoreline Proxies
    • Errors
    • Maine Studies
  • Beach Profile Monitoring
  • Topographic Change Analysis
  • Shoreline Change and Remapping FIRMs

Suitability of Maine data for Erosion Hazard Area (EHA) determinations and Erosion Rate Analysis

  • Previous Work
  • Wells Embayment
  • Saco Bay

Assessment of data gaps that would improve EHA assessments

Spatial analysis of large beach systems that may have experienced shoreline changes significant enough to result in FIRMs being out of date

  • Ranking FIRMs using Shoreline Change
  • Shoreline Change over 40 Feet
    • Hills Beach
  • Shoreline Change Over 30 Feet
    • Hills Beach
    • Mile Stretch Beach
    • Pine Point Beach
  • Shoreline Change Over 20 Feet
    • Popham and Hunnewell Beaches
    • Higgins Beach
    • Goose Rocks Beach
  • Shoreline Change Over 10 Feet
    • Fortunes Rocks Beach
    • Old Orchard Beach and Ocean Park
    • Willard Beach
    • Gerrish and Cutts Islands
    • Cape Elizabeth Beaches
    • Great Chebeague Island
    • Mile and Half Mile Beaches
    • Crescent Surf and Parsons Beaches
    • Ogunquit Beach
    • Goochs and Middle Beaches
    • Head Beach and Small Point Beach
    • Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach
    • Kennebunkport Pocket Beach
    • Scarborough and Western Beaches
  • Shoreline Change Less than 10 Feet

Summary of existing data on the severity of bluff erosion and how it might affect FIRMs

FIRMs in York, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc Counties most likely to be obsolete or become outdated by shoreline change

Conclusions

References


This report was funded through Joint Memorandum of Understanding between the Maine Floodplain Management Program at the Maine State Planning Office to the Maine Geological Survey of the Department of Conservation.

This report was funded in part by

  • Maine State Planning Office
  • Maine Floodplain Management Program (SPO/MFMP)
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • Community Assistance Program/State Support Services Element (CAP/SSSE)
  • Community Assistance Program Map/Assistance Program (CAP/MAP).

Last updated on September 24, 2012