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3,3,7 f I I) I l 1 P,i c t s (,,'b l rG l' P,i l l'' v l' l <br />l' e les af'`ld I iah/tatsl 111 1IV1 �1 X11 <br />Storms, wave energy, rising sea levels, and other <br />natural and human activities have led to significant <br />shifts in the North Carolina coast line (Feldman et <br />al. 2009). These dynamic coast lines both retreat <br />and accrete, with long -term erosion rates (19402 — <br />1998) estimated at an average of 0.8 in per year (NC <br />DCM 2003 in Feldman et al. 2009). In areas where <br />data are available, average erosion rates have been <br />shown to vary by as much as 4 — 8 in depending on <br />location, time period, or accretion rates (see Everts et <br />al. 1983). Although erosion already plays an impor- <br />tant role in defining the North Carolina coastline, <br />no <br />1"Ar, <br />impacts will likely be magnified by sea level rise and <br />greater storm surges. For example, Leatherman et <br />al. 2000 found a 1 in sea level rise would result in <br />a shore retreat of an average of 88 in statewide, in <br />addition to erosion caused by existing wave energy, <br />storms, or human activities (in Feldman et al. 2009). <br />North Carolinas coast is primarily composed on <br />wave - dominated barrier islands consisting of long, <br />thin stretches of sand that buffer shallow estuaries or <br />lagoons and are bisected by widely -space tidal inlets <br />(Gutierrez et al. 2009, Figure 3 -10). These barrier <br />islands act as an energy buffer, protecting the inte- <br />rior coastal estuarine system from high - energy waves. <br />Overwash, breaching, and storm surge, are already <br />Coastal Landform Types Along U.S. Mid - Atlantic Coast <br />t <br />13 <br />fib r m`iu u� <br />Oyu �UmU�4 <br />i hii�rueur�m, <br />t i'�!.'r��FWN"OVN�tlrr �i�Nlll� I�'fiNii7!�§� �" <br />.Ire �Id, � i U�urmmFr,�mv�INrvmwv� <br />JAr, d4tgrr J71111" <br />Figure 3.1 Map of the mid - Atlantic coast of the United States showing the occurrence of the four coastal landform types. <br />Numbers on the map designate distinct portions of the coast divided by landform type and refer to the discussions in Sections <br />3.5 and 3.7. Numbers on the photographs refer to specific sections of the coast that are depicted on the map. Images from <br />Google Earth (Gutierrez et al., 2007). <br />Chapter 3: Projected Impacts of Climate Change in North Carolina 69 <br />