Shoreline movements 1849-1980: Cape Henry, Virginia, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Shoreline position changes between about 1850 and 1980 along the ocean coastal reach from 12 km west of Cape Henry, Virginia, to 8 km west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, are partially documented in this report. Shoreline change maps at a scale of 1:24,000 constitute the basic data set for this report. In addition, ocean and sound shoreline changes averaged for 1 degree of latitude (or longitude) distance increments are provided. Consistent alongshore trends in shoreline change are evident only from Virginia Beach south to the Virginia-North Carolina border and for about 15 km north of Cape Hatteras. Other areas experienced variable rates in an alongshore direction. Shoreline change rates were also not constant through time. The highest average rate of about -2 m/yr for the entire ocean coast occurred between 1917 and 1949. From about 1850 to 1917 the rate averaged -0.1 m/yr. The average for the past 30 years has been about -0.8 m/yr.