Introduction:http://geogweb.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/BainCalif/subjects/HazardsCoastErode.html "The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering. If you try to change it you will ruin it. If you try to hold it you will lose it." Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse
Every land mass on Earth has miles of coast at the interface between the hydrosphere and the lithosphere. Natural forces such as wind, waves and currents are constantly shaping the coastal regions. The combined energy of these forces moves land materials in a manner that scientists have been studying for centuries.
In addition to the daily, slow sculpting of the coast, several other factors result in changes to coasts. Amongst these are winter storms, hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis which result in major coastal changes over very short time periods. These are referred to as catastrophic events because of the extensive damage that is caused and the unpredictable nature of the event.
Humankind has been struggling to control
the destructive forces associated with the everyday erosion of the coast,
as well as the catastrophic events. The following pages will provide an
overview of the issues associated with coastal erosion and the measures
being taken to reduce the effects of catastrophic events on the East Coast
of the United States.
