The Atlantic coast of Maryland is split into two different types of shore management zones. The entire Maryland portion of Fenwick Island has become urbanized with the development of Ocean City, Maryland, while the remaining two-thirds of the coastline (Assateague Island) has remained in a more natural state as coastal parklands. These two coastal sectors are also physically separated by the Ocean City Inlet jetties, which have served to compartmentalize a system that was previously connected by longshore sand transport. A large portion of the sand moving southward in the littoral drift system is being swept seaward by the ebb tidal jet to form an enormous shoal. The average annual net longshore transport is estimated to be 150,000 cubic yards to the south. Since little of this sand is presently bypassing Ocean City Inlet and reaching Assateague, the northern portion of this island is being sediment-starved and driven landward. This area probably represents the most severe case of downdrift beach erosion due to shoreline engineering structures along the U. S. coast.
