Defining the Coastal Zone
Consistent with the Coastal Zone Management Act, the “Coastal Zone” refers to both coastal waters (including the lands therein and thereunder) and the adjacent shorelands (including the waters therein and thereunder). These areas are strongly influenced by each other and lie in proximity to the shorelines of coastal states.
The coastal zone includes islands, transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches. In the Great Lakes, the zone extends to the international boundary between the United States and Canada. In other coastal areas, it extends seaward to the outer limit of state ownership and jurisdiction as defined by the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.).
Coastal Challenges
The vision from the 2014 “Past and Future of Nearshore Processes Research: Reflections on the Sallenger Years and a New Vision for the Future” workshop identified three broad coastal challenges. USCRP coordinates and funds research to address these challenges.
Long-Term Coastal Evolution Due to Natural and Anthropogenic Processes
The Physical, Biological, and Chemical Processes Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
Long-Term Coastal Evolution Due to Natural and Anthropogenic Processes
Extreme Events
The Physical, Biological, and Chemical Processes Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
Long-Term Coastal Evolution Due to Natural and Anthropogenic Processes
The Physical, Biological, and Chemical Processes Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
The Physical, Biological, and Chemical Processes Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
The Physical, Biological, and Chemical Processes Impacting Human and Ecosystem Health
Community Experiments
DUNEX (DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment) is a multi-agency, academic, and stakeholder-driven community experiment designed to study nearshore processes during coastal storms.
The SEDiment Transport COllaborative LABoratory Experiment (SEDCOLAB) is a multi-institutional collaborative laboratory experiment hosted at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), focusing on sediment transport and morphological response to coastal processes in a highly controlled setting.