Beach erosion occurs at varied time scales from storm-induced changes to long-term shoreline evolution over a period of decades. Therefore, a long-term (> 100 year) record of shoreline change is required to delineate between short-term changes and long-term trends. Accurate, long-term shoreline change maps are a prerequisite for quantitative analysis pursuant to any coastal management decision. The Metric Mapping program was used to develop a 127-year record of shoreline change along Delaware's Atlantic coast and hence assess coastal engineering projects, primarily the Bethany Beach groin field.
