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Shoreline Armoring

Shoreline Armoring

Shoreline armoring is the construction of bulkheads, seawalls, riprap or any other structure used to harden a shoreline against erosion.

CMap

Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Shelter includes sectors that provide for the comfort and protection of humans in relation to their living spaces. Infrastructural sectors provide the physical, organizational, and technical support for the economy to function, including construction, utilities, transportation, finance, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and technical services. Civil Engineering and Construction specializes in the design and construction of infrastructure, including buildings and homes, roads, utility lines, and ports. Housing is a subsector of the Shelter Sector. The Transportation Sector involves comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) The Transportation Systems Sector is segmented into six key subsectors, or modes, which operate independently within both a regulated and non-regulated environment, yet are also highly interdependent. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. Coastal Development is the construction of infrastructure, buildings, homes, and roads in coastal communities. Shoreline armoring is the construction of bulkheads, seawalls, riprap or any other structure used to harden a shoreline against erosion. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . Landscape Changes are alterations of the natural landscape through human activities, including coastal development, shoreline armoring, impervious surfaces, deforestation, or soil disturbance, which can alter water flow patterns and lead to pollutant runoff into coastal systems. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Landuse management pertains to responses that determine the use of land for development and construction. Regulating Services are benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that regulate the environment, including erosion regulation, natural hazard regulation, and climate regulation. City planning refers to the development of guidelines, integrating landuse and transportation planning, to improve the economic, social, and structural functioning of cities. Infrastructural policies are responses, including zoning, codes, or regulations, that impact the distribution and functioning of socio-economic sectors that provide infrastructure. Shoreline Protection is the attenuation of wave energy by reefs that protects coastal communities against shoreline erosion and flooding during storms, hurricanes, and tsunamis that can cause property damage and loss of life. Construction codes and regulations control the location, number, and development of construction projects, including buildings, homes, and coastal structures. Permitting is documentation required for new construction and remodeling/renovation, in compliance with national, regional, and local zoning and building codes. Landscape conservation and restoration refers to efforts to protect and restore disturbed natural landscapes, such as through hydroseeding or beach renourishment. Transportation management includes policies, regulations, and zoning designed to control the distribution and intensity of transportation networks, including roads and shipping channels, and vehicles, including cars, boats, and ships. Dredging is the process of excavating material from an area to maintain ship channels and harbors for safe navigation. Physical Damage to reef habitat and wetlands can occur from vessel groundings, dredging, trampling, boat movement, anchor drops, trawling, and fishing gear. Dredging regulations are decisions or policies to control the location or intensity of physically damaging activities such as dredging, draining, or filling. Resource use management pertains to responses to regulate or limit contact activities that may directly impact coastal species through harvesting or physical damage. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Seawater flow reflects circulation patterns, currents, and wave action that move water throughout the ocean and towards the coastline. A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Sediment includes dirt, sand, silt, clay, and small rocks that form soil on land or soft substrate in marine habitats, and may be transported by water, wind, or human activities.

CMap Description

Coastal development is driven by population growth and the need for housing and infrastructure that depend on civil engineering & construction, as well as transportation projects. Coastal development may require stabilization of the shoreline through shoreline armoring or dredging activities, which can directly impact coastal wetlands, alter patterns of water flow, and deposit sediments. Wetlands and reefs may reduce the need for shoreline armoring through wave energy attenuation and shoreline stabilization that reduces flooding, erosion, and protects the shoreline. Construction codes & regulations, transportation policies, landuse management, and dredging regulations through planning, permitting, and zoning can influence intensity and distribution of shoreline armoring. Landuse restoration, such as establishing natural vegetation, can reduce the need for shoreline armoring.

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