. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. decrease the amount of impervi- ous or built-upon area allowed on waterside property and establish buffers along the estuarine shoreline, as well as set different standards for erosion control permits. "'People said, 'Why do we have this no-hardening rule on the oceanfront but not in the estuar- ies?'" says Bill Crowell, cumula- tive impacts analyst for the Division of Coastal Management. Oceanfront stabilization has been prohibited since the late 1970s, when concern over beach erosion prompted t
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. decrease the amount of impervi- ous or built-upon area allowed on waterside property and establish buffers along the estuarine shoreline, as well as set different standards for erosion control permits. "'People said, 'Why do we have this no-hardening rule on the oceanfront but not in the estuar- ies?'" says Bill Crowell, cumula- tive impacts analyst for the Division of Coastal Management. Oceanfront stabilization has been prohibited since the late 1970s, when concern over beach erosion prompted the Coastal Resources Commis- sion to write regulations banning the armoring of waterfront properties. Rigid structures that extend into the water trap sand from the longshore current and prevent it from settling out on the properties immediately "downstream," starving them of sand. Water hitting bulkheads or seawalls can also promote erosion during storms, since the force of waves is transferred downward and to either side of the structure. Over time, the dry sand beach at the toe of a bulkhead is eroded away. Hardened shorelines also prevent the natural inland and southward migration of beaches that allows the Outer Banks to strike their dynamic equilibrium with the sea. Now the Coastal Resources Commis- sion is taking a long, hard look at shorelines in the estuaries. While oceanfront regula- tions are meant to preserve beaches for public recreation, regulations for the estuaries seek to preserve critical marshes and intertidal areas that are the foundations of coastal water quality and estuarine food chains. Here, where fresh and salt water mix, marsh grasses and an undulating shoreline create a safe haven for juvenile species such as blue crabs, shrimp and striped bass. Ninety percent of commercial fishing species and 65 percent of recre- ational species spend some part of their lives in estuaries, seeking shelter from predators as they grow to Marshes a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
