Conceptual diagram illustrating a hardened shoreline vs a natural shoreline. The hardened shoreline has concrete rip-rap or a sea wall. It can be very costly and can also interrupt natural shoreline processes and sand movement that can lead to increased erosion downdrift from the structure. A natural shoreline incorporates native vegetation with a buffer strip of sand and/or fiber logs. It filters runoff and traps sediment, actually widening the beach, and providing valuable shoreline habitat for wildlife.

Shoreline erosion control

Conceptual diagram illustrating a hardened shoreline vs a natural shoreline. The hardened shoreline has concrete rip-rap or a sea wall. It can be very costly and can also interrupt natural shoreline processes and sand movement that can lead to increased erosion downdrift from the structure. A natural shoreline incorporates native vegetation with a buffer strip of sand and/or fiber logs. It filters runoff and traps sediment, actually widening the beach, and providing valuable shoreline habitat for wildlife.

diagram climate change sea level rise flooding protection erosion shoreline buffer rip rap bulkhead

Author(s)Jane Hawkey
Author CompanyIntegration and Application Network
Date Created2012-08-01
AlbumHuman > Climate Change
TypeGraphic
Dimensions1000 x 300
Filesize143.8 kB
Number of Downloads375
Filetype(s) PNG
LicenseAttribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Required AttributionJane Hawkey, Integration and Application Network (ian.umces.edu/media-library)