Saving Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from the Sea Options and Policy Implications (1988) / Chapter Skim
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Part I. Background Considerations
Part I. Background Considerations
Pages 15-44
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Part ~ Background Consiclerations
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Striking repetitive morphological patterns at all the Carolina capes and the location of all the Outer Banks islands on the Carolina Platform permit patterns identified in the Cape Lookout to Cape Fear region to be extrapolated northward to the Cape Hatteras region.
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. The Outer Banks of North Carolina (figure does
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Along the North Carolina coast, this pattern meant that shorelines facing south -- west of capes such as Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear -- began to accrete. Therefore, the most landward beach ridges at Bogue Banks are about 4,000 years old.
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x 103 FIGURE 4 Relative sea level at Cape Lookout during the past 9,000 years. Adapted from Heron et al., 1984.
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These and related shoals along the Atlantic seaboard define zones of long-term sediment convergence during the Holocene retreat of the East Coast barrier islands. Much of the sand once contained in the barriers probably has been lost to these extensive shoals and the associated smaller, linear shelf sand ridges (Swift, 1976~.
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22 Background Considerations 1 to ~ _ 1 o _ '^ ~ e~ = ~ -- : :~ :-:-:-:-:- ~ ~ ~ C ~ )
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, which sometimes have winds of hurricane force. The Outer Banks region has an annual hurricane landfall probability of about 20% (Simpson and Lawrence, 1971)
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have profound influences on the formation and behavior of barrier islands. - ~ estimating the risk to l hey are also critical In Cane Hatteras Lighthouse and effectiveness of options for protecting the lighthouse.
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This relative sea level controls the actual position of the shoreline; the rate of change in relative sea level affects the rate of shoreline erosion. Tide gauges located at most major harbors of the world are the principal source of data for changes in local relative sea level.
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olneu with the assumed steady sunslaence tor the Cape natteras area of .03 inches (0.8 mm) per year, the local relative sea-level rise can be calculated for any desired future date, T(t)
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Calculated magnitudes of sea-level rise are summarized in Table 1. SHORELINE RETREAT Estimates of the rate of shoreline retreat in response to rising sea level can be obtained by different methods that apply varying levels of sophistication.
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28 Background Considerations o cry cd m cry ce cd _ a' ~ Q I)
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It is difficult to determine a typical shoreline retreat rate since the 1 930s, because various shoreline engineering measures were implemented at different times. The rate of retreat at Cape Hatteras has decreased steadily since the 1 930s (Everts et al., 1983; Figure 7~.
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SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1985.
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The Physical Setting u' _ 0 ._ ~ c, 0 C: ~ c, ·= 4_ _ 0 0 ~ ~ ~_]
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The committee believes that the most realistic projections of shoreline retreat are those based on trend analysis of the past 40 years because existing structures will continue to have some effect for the next few decades. Accordingly, continuation of the present erosion rate will move the shoreline l 57 feet (48 meters)
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Many laws affecting the coastal zone, such as the National Flood Insurance Program, are conceived in response to actual disasters or other events and trends perceived to be harmful. Public policies seldom anticipate and mitigate future harms whose time of occurrence is unknown.
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National Park Service, 1978~: "Historic structures constitute a major component of the cultural resources entrusted to the National Park Service. The continued integrity of these resources, based upon their classification,
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The CBRA prohibits federal subsidies for infrastructures and other actions that would encourage development of undeveloped, nonpublic coastal barriers. The Cape Hatteras site is federally owned and is not within the direct purview of the CBRA.
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Recent amendments to the NFIP are discussed with reference to relocating the lighthouse in Part II. ENHANCEMENT OF RECREATION AND TOURISM Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a symbol of the Outer Banks and a focal point of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
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. are being irretrievably damaged or lost." To implement national coastal policy, the act facilitated development of state coastal zone management programs under federal guidelines and partial funding and provided that "each federal agency conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the coastal zone shall conduct or support those activities in a manner which is, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with approved state management programs" ( 16 U.S.C., Sec.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Numerous statutes embody a federal policy of commitment to environmental protection. For example, Section 101 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 recognized "the profound impact of man's activity on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment" and declared a federal policy to "assure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive~ and aesthetically and culturally pleasing surround~ngs; preserve important n~stor~c, cultural, and natural aspects -` -I -- ' ~ -" The act requires an environmental impact statement be prepared concerning any "major federal action significantly affecting environment" (Section 102 Iced.
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Notwithstanding these measures and historic concern for the American coast, the nation and the coastal states have yet to formulate an adequate response to the increasing problems of a shore moving landward and a population moving seaward. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stands on the line of compression.
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However, this might not be a realistic, long-term solution to preservation. Historic preservation has been a mission of the National Park Service since its beginning.
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It authorized the Historic American Buildings Survey, the Historic American Engineering Record, and the National Survey of Historic Sites. It also provided for establishment of national historic sites, preservation of properties "of national historic or archeological significance," and designation of national historic landmarks.
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Because of past and recent development patterns along the barrier islands and ocean bluffs, historic structures probably are not considered the most pressing public policy issue posed by erosion and rising sea levels. Rather, beach houses and roads are pressing concerns, followed by concern for coastal cities.
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