National Shoreline Management Study
The National Shoreline Management Study (NSMS) contributes to ongoing efforts to improve coastal management. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) initiated the study through collaborative efforts with other agencies. The primary focus areas of NSMS are:
- Erosion and accretion and its causes
- Environmental implications of shoreline change
- Economic implications of shoreline change
- Agency roles and contributions in restoring and renourishing shores
- Systematic movement of sand
Current efforts are focusing on the National Shoreline Management assessments, Coastal Systems Portfolio Initiative (CSPI), and the coastal strategic process Rising Oceans on Changing Coasts.
The assessment of the Nation's shorelines are taking into account the regional diversity of geology, geomorphology, oceanography, ecology, commerce and development patterns.
The study is a collaborative effort with other agencies. The USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR) is managing the study, working closely with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory as well as USACE field experts and members of other Federal and state agencies.