Change in the datum-derived shoreline (or MHW contour) was analyzed within the Geographic Information Systems database through an extension developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) called BeachTools (Hoeke, et. al, 2001). BeachTools allows us to automate the process of generating equally spaced and shore-normal transect lines across the entire stretch of Bogue Banks. Figure 1 (below) shows an example of a 1998 Digital Orthographic Quarter Quadrangle (DOQQ) with the MHW contours and generated transects for a segment of Emerald Isle.

Results show that changes in the MHW shoreline were highly variable along the 25.2 mile (40,555 m) long surveyed section of Bogue Banks (Figure 2-below). In fact, temporal variability in the MHW contour along any given stretch of this beach is likely to be greater than the overall, island-wide shoreline changes. Comparison of a LIDAR (Light Identification, Detection and Ranging) 2000 pre-nourishment laser survey with the May, 2002 post-nourishment survey reveals several important features and trends: