Resources

Living Shoreline Guidance

General Guidance

SAGE (Systems Approach to Geomorphic Engineering)

NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Habitat Blueprint

NOAA Digital Coastal

Restore Americas Estuaries

RAE’s Coastal Restoration Toolkit

Engineering with Nature

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Center for Coastal Resources Management

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Texas General Land Office

Gulf of America Alliance

National Wildlife Federation

Florida Guidance

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

Broward County

  • Resilient Shorelines – Seawall Replacement Alternatives to Provide Flood Protection and Enhance Habitat and Property Value

The Nature Conservancy

Partnership for Plastic-free Restoration of Oyster Shorelines (PROS)

University of Florida IFAS Extension

Northwest Florida Water Management District

Other Gulf States Guidance

Texas

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium

Texas General Land Office

The Nature Conservancy

Living Shoreline Suitability Models

Florida Models

Other Models

Foundational Literature

Training

Glossary

  • Accretion – The gradual buildup of soil or sand along a shoreline

  • Brackish – A mixture of fresh and saltwater, typically found in an estuary

  • Breakwater – An offshore, parallel structure that “breaks” waves, reducing their energy

  • Bulkhead – A type of shoreline armoring that prevents land from sliding into the water by constructing a hard wall of sheet pile or rocks

  • Coir log – A log made of coconut fiber, straw, hay, or other biodegradable materials that can be used to temporarily protect a shoreline while plants are growing

  • Erosion – The process of water or wind removing soil or rock

  • Estuary – A semi-enclosed body of water at the point that freshwater meets saltwater

  • Fetch – The unobstructed distance that wind travels over a body of water in a constant direction, which directly influences wave generation and size

  • Marine mattress – A habitat restoration method that uses geosynthetic or concrete mattresses to protect shorelines and submerged infrastructure while also providing a stable, eco-friendly surface for marine life to colonize and thrive

  • Resilience – The ability of wildlife and habitats to prepare for, absorb, respond to, recover from, and adapt to natural and human-caused changes in the environment

  • Retaining wall – A type of shoreline armoring that prevents land from sliding into the water by constructing a hard wall of concrete blocks or rocks

  • Riprap – A layer of stones that protects soil from erosion

  • Sea level rise – The increase in the water level of Earth’s ocean due to melting sheets of ice and glaciers as a part of climate change

  • Seawall – A type of shoreline armoring that prevents land from sliding into the water by constructing a hard wall of sheet pile and concrete in areas that experience high wave energy

  • Shoreline armoring – The process of building hard structures, like bulkheads and seawalls, along a shoreline to try to fight erosion

  • Sill – A low-elevation, shore-parallel structure made of materials like stone or logs, designed to reduce wave energy and hold sand or soil, creating a protected area for planting and establishing tidal marshes or other vegetation

  • Storm surge – The dangerous rise of water that happens during a storm event in addition to water levels that change with tides

  • Terracing – A shoreline stabilization technique that involves cutting “steps” into a steep bank to prevent erosion and allow plants to grow

  • Wave attenuation – The loss of energy of a wave as it travels through something, like a wall of mangroves