Evaluating Living Shorelines to Inform Regulatory Decision-Making in South Carolina - NERRS/NSC(NERRS Science Collaborative)

This collaborative research project conducted extensive field work on the South Carolina coast. This project monitored and evaluated the effectiveness of a variety of living shoreline techniques under different coastal environmental conditions. Three datasets were generated by the project:

(1)Monitoring data for pre-existing oyster-based shoreline sites. This dataset includes monitoring results from 62 pre-existing living shoreline projects that used different techniques to support the development of oyster reefs. The reefs were distributed across 29 sites of varying shoreline geomorphologies, salinities, and sediment types, and were monitored for a variety of site characteristics and performance metrics.
(2)Performance data for new experimental shoreline sites. This dataset includes pre-installation and post-installation monitoring data for 16 experimental living shoreline sites spread along the South Carolina coast. Monitoring encompassed physical attributes of the bank and sediment, biological attributes of the adjacent marsh and the condition of the treatment material over time.
(3)Spatial and elevation geodatabase for living shoreline sites. This geodatabase was designed to help analyze changes in position and elevation of key features around living shorelines to help determine the relative success of various types of living shoreline materials. Data included horizontal position and elevation data at specific locations at living shoreline installation at various times.